Globo Website said that a group of scientists at the Brazilian University of São Paulo discovered a new mutation of SARS-CoV-2, stating that it is spreading rapidly in Brazil.

The website quoted Brazilian Virology Association Vice President Joao Pessoa Arogo Jr.: “The P4 model is of unknown origin. It was first discovered in a sample from the town of Mukoka in São Paulo, after which it spread widely in Porto Ferreira.

So far we have not been able to determine, is it more contagious or more dangerous than the normal model of the virus.” He noted that the new P4 model has a common origin with the “Brazilian” P1 and P2 models, as well as the P3 model deployed in the Philippines – all of which belong to the B.1.1.28 strain. The expert stated that it was important to recognize the existence of a new changing model in the country now, which is spreading rapidly in the region and has so far been found in nine municipalities in São Paulo. “It’s spreading in an environment dominated by P1 and the British variable, but we’re very concerned about its rapid spread,” the virologist said.