A new mutation of the highly-contagious UK coronavirus variant has been found in the US, the feds revealed Wednesday.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing that the first case of the B117 variant with the E484K mutation — known as the “Bristol variant” — has been identified.
“As of yesterday, we have 1,277 B117 variant across 42 states, including the first case of the B117 with the E484K mutation,” she said.
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The B117 variant is the highly contagious strain found in Britain in mid-December that’s since made its way to the US.
The E484K mutation — also found in the South Africa and Brazil strains — alters the shape of the virus’ spike protein, which allows it to break through a human cell.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the first case of the B117 variant with the E484K mutation has been identified.Getty Images
Walensky declined
