New COVID-19 variant discovered in France, suspected to be contagious than Omicron

The world is still battling with Omicron, a highly modified coronavirus strain that has been causing a worldwide outbreak of Covid-19 infections. French scientists have discovered a new, more altered form of Omicron.

The genomes were retrieved using next-generation sequencing with Oxford Nanopore Technologies on GridION devices. The new variant is named the "IHU", and as per preliminary searches, it is even more dangerous.

"The spike protein contains fourteen amino acid changes, including N501Y and E484K, as well as nine deletions. According to the research report, "this genotype pattern led to the creation of a new Pangolin lineage dubbed B.1.640.2, which is a phylogenetic sister group to the existing B.1.640 lineage renamed B.1.640.1."

In Twitter discussion, epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding stated that new variations continue to emerge, but this does not necessarily indicate they will be more hazardous.

"The ability to reproduce due to the number of mutations it has in proportion to the original virus is what makes a variant more well-known and hazardous," he said.

"At this point, it becomes a "variant of concern," such as Omicron, which is more infectious and immune-evasive. It's yet unclear which group this new variety will fall under," the doctor added.

The Omicron variation was discovered in a South African sample taken on November 24 of last year. It has since expanded to over a hundred countries. After the identification of Omicron, countries have stated witnessing a record number of coronavirus related infections. Even though the numbers are increasing, the majority of such cases are mild to moderate and very few have caught a severe infection.

With Omicron and now IHU, countries are returning to curfews, face mask mandates, and other virus-related restrictions, including the closure of borders in some cases.

It is only suspected that IHU is more contagious, however, it is very early to make any detailed assertions.