Photo: ReutersResearchers in southern Brazil said they have discovered patients infected with two different strains of the new coronavirus simultaneously, reflecting concerns about the growing number of variants in the country. The researchers, who posted their findings Wednesday on medical website medRxiv, said their study would be the first in the world to confirm co-infection with two strains of the coronavirus. "It would be another evolutionary pathway for the virus," Spilki added. Mutations found in coronavirus variants in Britain and a more recent one in the Brazilian state of Amazonas appear to have made the virus more contagious. The cases point to the significant viral load circulating in Brazil because co-infection can only occur when different viruses are being transmitted in high quantity, Spilki said.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 28, 2021 21:56 UTC