“The mutations in the Columbus strain are likely to make the virus more infectious, making it easier for the virus to pass from person to person,” Ohio State University said in a statement.
The U.S. has again hit a record high for coronavirus deaths. More than 4,300 Americans died from the virus on Tuesday. While the pace of vaccinations is picking up, with delivered Tuesday, a possible new coronavirus strain has appeared in Ohio. Researchers at Ohio State University discovered a new variant that carries a mutation identical to the strain found in the U.K., but was likely already present in the U.S. The has been detected in 11 states. Researchers said they also found another U.S. strain with three other gene mutations that were not previously seen.
