COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN)--Researchers at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center say a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been discovered in a patient from Ohio.
A statement from the hospital Wednesday says it's similar to the strain identified in the UK, but the recently-discovered strain also acquired three new gene mutations not previously seen in COVID-19.
Researchers do not know the prevalence of the strain in the population. it does make the virus more infectious, and easier to transmit from person to person.
Doctors at Wexner Medical Center have been sequencing the genome for COVID-19 in patients since March of 2020
Peter Moehler, co-author of the study, says there's no data to indicate that the mutations will have any impact of the effectiveness of the vaccines.