A study published in Science says that the coronavirus variant first identified in Brazil seems to be much more contagious compared to the other versions of the virus.

The variant termed P.1 might also be able to evade immunity that people achieved after being infected with COVID-19 earlier. An article in Science Daily stated that nearly 75% of the individuals in Manaus were infected in the first wave in mid-2020. Experts believed that the city might have reached herd immunity. However, a second wave of infections hit the city in late 2020, and P.1 was the dominant strain.

Investigators noted that P.1 acquired 17 mutations, three being in the spike protein. The strain appears to be 1.7 to 2.4 times more transmissible than other strains and is capable of avoiding 10% to 46% of the immunity that people achieve from infection with other strains… (Medscape)