Published March 3, 2021, 10:05 AM
SAO PAULO The coronavirus variant detected in the northern Brazilian state of Amazonas is twice as contagious and capable of re-infecting those who already had COVID-19, according to a scientific study released on Tuesday.
A woman wears a face mask amid covid-19 outbreak in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 4, 2020. (Photo by Rahel Patrasso/Xinhua / MANILA BULLETIN)
The Sao Paulo Research Foundation said the scientific research group was coordinated by Ester Sabino, an expert on infectious diseases at the University of Sao Paulo, and Nuno Faria, a researcher at Oxford University in Britain.
The virus variant was initially detected in mid-November in Manaus, capital of Amazonas state.