What Experts Know About P.1, the Coronavirus Variant Discovered in Brazil

Stories report on the P.1 variant of the novel coronavirus detected in Brazil and quote Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, who said that it’s normal for viruses to develop variants. The stories also quote John A. Sellick Jr., DO, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, who said that mutations in the spike protein would imply it’s more infectious as it would boost its ability to bind to human cells and replicate more quickly. However, he added, there’s no scientific data yet on whether it causes more severe disease.