The New York Variant

 Now it begins.In a paper by West et al the authors note:

 Wide-scale SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing is critical to monitoring and understanding viral evolution during the ongoing pandemic. Variants first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil have spread to multiple countries. We have developed a software tool, Variant Database (VDB), for quickly examining the changing landscape of spike mutations. Using this tool, we detected an emerging lineage of viral isolates in the New York region that shares mutations with previously reported variants. The most common sets of spike mutations in this lineage (now designated as B.1.526) are L5F, T95I, D253G, E484K or S477N, D614G, and A701V. This lineage appeared in late November 2020, and isolates from this lineage account for ~25% of coronavirus genomes sequenced and deposited from New York during February 2021.

 This is now the New York variant. It appears very virulent and an aggressive spreader as well. Clearly New York is an ideal spot for such a generation. I was at Columbia this week and the crowds at the hospital made any social distancing impossible. But outside the ability to transmit gets even better.

 I have plotted below the mutation spreads for a variety of the current variants 

 

I have also now plotted the number of variant proteins from the Wuhan wild type below for all known variants. The original variants were generally centered on the spike protein now they are taking up the tails as well.

We have been concerned about the mutations for a while now but this New York variant seems highly aggressive. Hopefully the current Administration can at least come to par with the former and hopefully better. Mutations are now spreading at an alarming rate. One suspects that they are going to be home grown unless we can massively improve Public Health. 

Just a tip for Hospital Administrators. Patients in large waiting areas should not be talking. It becomes a massive spreading event and if the patients are of suppressed immunity then it is a pool for mutations.