The C.1.2. variant was discovered by scientists from South African groups the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform, known as Krisp and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
It was first flagged in May and has since been spotted in most of South Africa’s 9 provinces as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius, Portugal, New Zealand and Switzerland.
The researchers say the mutations seen in this variant give it “increased transmissibility” and an “increased ability to evade antibodies,” according to Bloomberg.
