A new mutation of the coronavirus (Covid-19) has been detected in Belgium by the university in Liège (ULiège) and currently accounts for about 4% of infections in the country, as was reported by Le Figaro.
"The number of cases is much less than that of a British Covid-19 strain (from 70% to 75% of cases), and if this strain intrigued the scientists who are preparing to publish their discovery soon, then it is an unprecedentedmutation," the message reads.
The strain – B.1.214 or “Spike Insertion” – was first discovered in January 2021, and its spread is being closely monitored by researchers from ULiège and KU Leuven.
“For the moment, the viruses of a hundred or so patients with this variant have been sequenced, and much more is needed to know its effects. But we can see that it is gradually increasing in Belgium, particularly in Brussels, Flemish Brabant, and Hainaut,” Vincent Bours, professor of human genetics and head of the Sars-Cov-2 analysis and sequencing laboratory at ULiège, stated.
According to him, the new strain is different from others. Usually, there is a loss of DNA fragments by copies. The Belgian version, on the contrary, collects many additions. Bours added that this variant attracted the attention of scientists because it had a “mutation that had almost never been observed before.”
At this point, there is not enough information to conclude whether the Belgian mutation is more contagious than other strains, nor there is any data on its response to coronavirus vaccines.
Thus, strain B 1.214 is not classified as a "problematic strain", unlike the South African, British and Brazilian strains.