Seven new strains of coronavirus identified in the United States: they are all highly contagious

Seven new strains of coronavirus have emerged in the US since last summer, according to a new study, and scientists fear they may be more infectious. New York Post.

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The new variants — each named after a bird — were detailed in a 25-page medical study published online Feb. 14 that has not yet been peer-reviewed.

The strains are similar in that they each mutate the 677th amino acid of the coronavirus, found on a spike that the virus uses to attach itself to healthy cells. There are concerns that the changes could make the strains more infectious.

"This region of the spine is important because of its proximity to the site that determines virulence," Vaughn Cooper, one of the study's senior authors and director of the Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, told CNN.

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The mutations have been discovered by scientists across the country conducting genetic sequencing of positive COVID-19 tests. Here's what we know about them:

• Robin 1 "is found in more than 1 US states, but is dominant in the Midwest." It was first discovered in August.
• Robin 2 was first discovered in a sample taken in early October in Alabama. Accordingly, it is most common in the Southeast.
• Pelican was first discovered in Oregon in late October. It has been found in 12 other states and is the only variant of the seven found overseas, in tests in Australia, Denmark, India and Switzerland.
• Yellowhammer (Golden Woodpecker), like Robin 2, is most common in the southeastern United States. It first appeared in the sample at the end of November.
• The Bluebird (Sialia), which first appeared in August, is most common in the Northeast.
• Quail ("Quail") is most often found in opposite corners of the United States, the northeast and southwest. It was first discovered in early October.
• The Mockingbird was first discovered in late November and is distributed throughout the south-central United States as well as the East Coast.

However, the vast majority of positive coronavirus samples are never genetically sequenced, so it is unclear how widespread these variants are or where they came from.

“I would be hesitant at the moment to name the place of origin of any of these lineages,” Emma Hodcroft, study co-author and epidemiologist at the University of Bern, told the New York Times.

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It is not yet possible to say whether the mutations are more virulent - because the available data is insufficient to determine whether they have actually spread at an accelerated rate, or whether they have simply benefited from conditions conducive to infection.

However, other international variants - most notably the UK strain, which was found in the States, including New York - have proven to be significantly more contagious than the original strain.

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