Unidentified coronavirus strain found in eastern Lithuania

“On April 9, our department received information that coronavirus cases with the E484 mutation have been detected in Anyksciai District,” Birute Sapkauskiene, director of the Utena department of the National Public Health Center (NPHC), told BNS. “We have no information yet as to what strain of the virus it is. As far as we know, this strain doesn’t have a name yet; [the strain] is so unusual in Lithuania,” she said. There is no indication as yet that people infected with the strain develop more severe symptoms. About a third of those infected in Anyksciai have already recovered, according to the director. It is said that variants carrying the E484 mutation could have greater resistance to vaccines.