When Will COVID-19 End? Now Appears New Variant Named R.1

JAKARTA – The global pandemic is still ongoing, COVID-19 undergoes a number of mutations. Several variants of the existing Covid-19, namely Alpha, Beta, and Gama, have spread. The fact is not only that, a new variant of Covid-19 named R.1 has been detected in a Kentucky Nursing Home, United States.

The R.1 variant is reported to have spread in 47 US states. For information, the R.1 variant is one of the variants that has a number of mutations including D614G.

The mutation is claimed to be able to spread quickly compared to other variants. However, this still has to be proven in a number of in-depth studies to be sure.

Although the R.1 variant has spread in the US, WHO has not included R.1 in the list of variant of concern (VOC) or variant of interest (VOI). R.1 is still in the 'Variant Under Monitoring' category previously named 'Alerts for Further Monitoring.'

Previously, WHO had identified the presence of the R.1 variant for the first time in January 2021. WHO says R.1 is found in a number of countries. Meanwhile, other sources say that the R.1 variant was detected for the first time in Japan. Some refer to the R.1 with the nickname 'variant from Japan.'

According to NewYorkPost, there are already more than 10,000 entries of the R.1 variant in the database used by researchers to track genomic material, said infectious disease expert Dr. William Haseltine.

“R.1 is a variant to watch out for. This has established a foothold in Japan and the United States," said Haseltine as quoted from NewYorkPost on Friday, September 24, 2021.