For the first time since the arrival of the variant Omicron to the Brazil, researchers were able to isolate and cultivate the new strain.
The feat will allow advances both in detecting the variant in other regions of the country and in evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines already existing in the fight against Ômicron.
The work was carried out by researchers from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of São Paulo (ICB-USP).
The group had also been a pioneer in isolating and cultivating the original lineage from the new coronavirus, which arrived in Brazil in February 2020.
The Ômicron sample analyzed by the scientists was diagnosed in a couple of Brazilians who live in the South Africa and were on tour in Brazil.
The isolated strain is currently being cultivated and, in two weeks, will be distributed around the country to serve as a basis for detecting the variant in other locations.
Also in 2020, the distribution of samples isolated from the original strain of Sars-Cov-2 allowed the development of the first diagnostic tests for covid-19 in Brazil, as well as advances in studies on the virus.
The group of researchers believes that the work carried out with the new variant can, once again, bring advances to studies on the disease.
Reference: CNN Brasil
