Characterization of the emerging B.1.621 variant of interest of SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity has the potential to impact the virus transmissibility and the escape from natural infection-or vaccine-elicited neutralizing antibodies. Here, we report the emergence of the B.1.621 lineage, considered a variant of interest (VOI) with the accumulation of several substitutions affecting the Spike protein, including the amino acid changes I95I, Y144T, Y145S and the insertion 146 N in the N-terminal domain, R346K, E484K and N501Y in the Receptor Binding Domain and P681H in the S1/S2 cleavage site of the Spike protein. The rapid increase in frequency and fixation in a relatively short time in some cities that were near the theoretical herd immunity suggests an epidemiologic impact. Further studies will be required to assess the biological and epidemiologic roles of the substitution pattern found in the B.1.621 lineage.

Automated summary

The emergence of the B.1.621 lineage, considered a variant of interest (VOI), with substitutions affecting the Spike protein, has the potential to impact the epidemiology of the virus. In cities near theoretical herd immunity, this lineage has rapidly increased in frequency, indicating a possible epidemiologic impact. Further studies are needed to assess the biological and epidemiologic roles of the substitutions found in the B.1.621 lineage.