Scientists at Stanford Health discovered the first confirmed case of a new "double mutant" COVID-19 variant, reportsFOX40.
A handful of people may have been infected with the new strain detected last week, which has two mutations from the original version of the virus.
The double mutant is reported to have originated in India.
Standford Health says they believe the case in California is the first to be detected in the United States.
As of now, details about the variant, if it's more infectious or resistant to vaccine antibodies, are still unknown to scientists.
Researchers at Standford are hard at work screening viral samples collected from hundreds of people across the Bay Area, according toFOX40.
“In most cases, it is too early to say whether or how these variants will influence the course of the pandemic, but it is important to monitor their evolution and spread,” Benjamin Pinsky, M.D., Ph.D, associate professor of pathology and of infectious diseases at the Stanford School of Medicine told FOX40.
They plan to ramp up their viral sampling within the next few days.
The double mutation is believed to be the reason behind a recent surge in cases in India, but scientists are wary of linking the variant to rising cases until they know more.