In Colombia, a new strain of the coronavirus was detected last January, it is the B.1 621 variant. The latter, which has not yet been named with a Greek letter, has claimed 7 victims, yet vaccinated, in a retirement home located in Belgium. Today, the Colombian variant is present in France in several regions.

Although the Colombian variant was identified for the first time in South America, sequencing has been reported mainly in the United States as well as in Spain. However, Santé Publique France reveals that the variant says ” Colombian »Is also present in Europe, notably in the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark. The number of cases has been on the rise since April 5. In France, two cases were detected during the week of April 26 and that of May 24, in Ile-de-France and in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. To date, the Colombian variant is believed to be present in no less than ten French regions, including Hauts-de-France. According to the weekly report from Biopath laboratories, a first case was reported on August 3 in Montreuillois, thanks to a screening test. According to them, the Colombian variant represents 0,04% in the region, while the Delta variant from India is largely in the majority: it is present at more than 98%. The capital is the most affected by this new strain of the coronavirus.

For the moment, the Colombian variant is being evaluated, because the health authorities lack scientific information. However, according to the Public Health Agency, it has two mutations: N501Y and E484K. The latter is common to the Beta variant, the first case of which was reported in South Africa. However, according to the ComCor study carried out by the Pasteur Institute on July 16, 2021, two doses of one of the messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna offer 77% protection against this variant. The new mutation is still the subject of a ” enhanced surveillance By the World Health Organization, since the end of May. According to Public Health France, “ there is no data on its impact on public health at this stage. It is the Delta variant that continues to worry the French, forcing the inhabitants of Guadeloupe or Martinique to be confined to their homes again.