(CNN) Researchers said Sunday they have identified a batch of similar troubling mutations in coronavirus samples circulating in the United States. They've not only drawn attention to them; they've come up with a better shorthand for referring to them. The various changes are so similar that the researchers think evolution favors these particular variants. "This stretch of Spike is important because of its proximity to a region key for virulence," Cooper told CNN via email. "We actually think these mutations are relatively rare (compared to other types of mutation), but they are disproportionately selected when then occur," he added.

Source: CNN February 15, 2021 02:48 UTC