New COVID Variant In Texas

A Texas A&M student had a Texas-based COVID variant called BV-1 from Brazos Valley. Dr. Ben Neuman, head of the Texas A&M Texarkana Biology Department, says it’s a mutation from the variant that started in the UK. He explains they’ve worked out a star system. Each new variant gets a star for each change. The UK variant is a three-star variant. He says it combines genetic markers associated with rapid spread, severe disease, and high resistance to antibodies. The students who got the virus had a mild infection. A second sample seems to show it may cause a longer than typical infection in younger people.