Researchers in Singapore have discovered a new variant of the coronavirus that causes milder infections, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal this week, Reuters reported.

The study showed that Covid-19 patients infected with a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 had better clinical outcomes, including a lower proportion developing low blood oxygen or requiring intensive care.

The study also showed the variant, which has a large deletion in a part of its genome, elicited a more robust immune response.

“These studies provide the first convincing data showing that an observed genetic change (mutation) in SARS-CoV-2 has affected the severity of disease in patients,” said one of the researchers.