Abstract: A significant increase in the B.1.1.7 lineage (alpha variant) in March 2021 as well as a transient circulation of regional variants that carried both the concerning
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E484K and
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P681H substitutions were noted.
Introduction: Along with multiple mutations in the
spike protein, there are 3 specific changes of particular concern: the
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N501Y, shown to enhance the binding affinity to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the
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P681H that is close to the furin cleavage site.