A highly transmissible COVID-19 variant that emerged in Brazil, known as P.1, can re-infect those who have recovered from the disease, scientists said on Tuesday.
Scientists estimated that P.1 was 1.4 to 2.2 times more transmissible than the initial form of the virus.
According to Dr. Nuno Faria, a virologist at Imperial College London, it is too early to say whether the variant’s ability to evade immunity from previous infections meant that vaccines also would offer reduced protection against it.
