Two Covid variants from Britain and the US have combined into the first mutated hybrid, a scientist has warned. The 'recombination' strain, made up partly of the highly transmissible Kent variant, raises concerns the world may be on the brink of a new phase in the pandemic.
The B117 strain, first discovered in England before the country was thrust into a third national lockdown appears to have mutated with another which has been running rampant in Los Angeles and which is resistant to antibodies.
Unlike previous mutations, a recombination can bring together multiple mutations in one go, though would still only occasionally confer more advantage of the original strains, reports New Scientist.