Health authorities in the French city of Bordeaux recently said that nearly 50 people have tested positive for a “very rare” Wuhan pneumonia (novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19) virus in a nucleic acid test, and that the city of Bordeaux is offering rapid, unconditional vaccination to nearby residents.
AFP reports that according to documents released by the French Ministry of Health, the mutant strain, named “VOC 20I/484Q”, is related to the virus variant “B.1.1.7” reported in the UK, as it is derived from B.1.1.7. from B.1.1.7. However, the addition of an additional mutation in the echinoderm protein, E484K, which is similar to the South African and Brazilian variants of the virus, has raised concerns about the potential impact on vaccine efficacy.
“VOC 20I/484Q was previously detected only in sporadic cases of VOC in several regions, including Île-de-France, but recently there have been clusters of infections with this variant in both Île-de-France and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The city of Bordeaux has begun mass testing.
The city of Bordeaux has begun large-scale testing to trace the transmission of the mutated virus. In order to prevent the spread of the outbreak, all people over the age of 18 in the Dangdebakaran neighborhood will receive a “rapid and unconditional” vaccination, with a total of about 19,000 doses. However, local health authorities stressed that there is no reason to believe that the mutated virus will render existing vaccines ineffective.
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