A subvariant of the most dominant strain of COVID-19 has recently been spotted in labs at 8 states in the United States, including Florida. And, scientists say it could potentially be faster spreading.
AY.4.2 is in the "sub-lineage" of the coronavirus Delta variant, which made headlines months ago for fueling a surge in cases over the summer across the world. Health leaders in the United Kingdom say they are investigating a growing number of cases involving the strain.
Here's what we know so far.
Is it in Florida?
CBS News reports the subvariant has been detected in labs in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Washington State and Florida.
So far, only one case has been linked to Florida out of 91,744 samples that have been tested, according to the GISAID Initiative, which is an organization that promotes the rapid sharing of data from all influenza viruses and COVID-19.
Is it more dangerous?
Even though scientists say the subvariant is faster-spreading, health authorities have found no evidence that it causes more severe illnesses, according to CBS News. They add that current vaccines are still effective against it.
How did it emerge?
Since the start of the pandemic, various variants and subvariants have mutated from COVID-19. As the virus spreads from person to person, it adapts and changes.
Red flags were raised surrounding AY.4.2 when last month the U.K.'s Health Security Aency released a report stating, “a delta sublineage newly designated as AY.4.2 is noted to be expanding in England.” Health leaders would go on to say the subvariant account for six percent of new cases across the country since the end of September.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that AY.4.2 has made up less than 0.05 percent of circulating COVID-19 cases in the U.S., CBS News reports.
"Even based on the data in the U.K., if you look at the transmission advantage, it looks smaller. It's not like Delta, which as soon as they came in, it was almost a 50 [percent] to 60 [percent] advantage over all previous lineages," Dr. Karthik Gangavarapu, a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA's Suchard group, told CBS News.
The CDC estimates that the Delta variant and its sub-lineages have been virtually responsible for 100 percent of cases in the U.S. for months.
