New preprint on the California variant - 1.427/B.1.429 or 20C/L452R, now >50% of sequenced cases by Jan 29 2021, showed 18.6-24% higher transmissibility vs wild-type circulating strains—slower than #B117 or #P1. Bit lower CP antibody binding.🧵 #COVID19
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
2) “This variant is characterized by three mutations in the spike protein, including a L452R substitution in the receptor-binding domain.”
3) “Our analyses revealed 2-fold increased B.1.427/B.1.429 viral shedding in vivo and increased L452R pseudovirus infection of cell cultures & lung organoids, albeit decreased relative to pseudoviruses carrying the N501Y found in SARS-CoV-2 variants (B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1).”
4) “Antibody neutralization assays showed 4.0-6.7-fold & 2.0-fold decreases in neutralizing titers from convalescent patients and vaccine recipients, respectively.”
5) “The increased prevalence of a more transmissible variant in California associated with decreased antibody neutralization warrants further investigation.”
6) I think this is much toned down preprint than the earlier reporting by LAT and a few other outlets.
The 4-6x lower CP neutralization is par to #B1351 variant. 2x lower vs vaccinated sera is similar too—we know vaccines still work for the #B1351. So it should for this too.
The 4-6x lower CP neutralization is par to #B1351 variant. 2x lower vs vaccinated sera is similar too—we know vaccines still work for the #B1351. So it should for this too.
7) Also, this also again points to vaccinations offering a stronger immune response (for antibody ability to neutralize pseudovirus in a lab) compared to natural infection immunity (evidenced by steeper drop via convalescent plasma).
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