Researchers: New coronavirus variant identified in New York

A new coronavirus variant that shares some similarities with the more transmissible and intractable variant discovered in South Africa is on the rise in New York City, researchers said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

The new variant, known as B.1.526, was first identified in samples collected in New York in November, and by mid-February represented about 12% of cases, said researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.