Amid the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine, health officials have warned that a new strain of the virus – linked to several major local outbreaks – is spreading across Santa Clara County. Many make them wonder what it means for the vaccine and its effectiveness against the new strain
And will scientists have to make different vaccines? Experts say maybe. But they are urging residents to continue with the available vaccines because the “native” or original strain still poses a threat.
A closer look at the new tension
The variant known as L452R has been circulating in California since November. It is thought to account for a quarter of the COVID-19 cases studied by local scientists.
It has also been detected in the counties of Humboldt, Lake, Los Angeles, Mono, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, San Bernardino, San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said he thinks the new type of COVID is more “tough”. He said it was probably more contagious, meaning someone is more likely to catch it in someone who has COVID-19.
“We do not believe that it makes you even sicker, but it does mean that more people will contract the disease, or at least be infected by the disease,” he said. How sick someone would become compared to the original tribe is still unclear.
Dr. Charles Chiu, a virologist and professor of laboratory medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, during a call last week referred to concerns about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine against the variant. “The data is preliminary, but it basically raises concerns that the vaccine may have an impact,” he said.
While the virus changes a fair amount, Benjamin said the changes are not yet significant enough to escape the current vaccine. However, a recent study on a variant from Africa suggests that new strains may be able to fight off the immune response and evade the vaccine.
Another enemy
Biochemist Mark Schwartz said the new variant in Santa Clara County does not replace the original COVID-19 virus, but adds another enemy. The new strain is the result of a mutation in the genetic code of the virus – which helps the virus survive and thrive.
This is not an uncommon phenomenon.
‘All viruses mutate. It is a mechanism of selection and survival. The virus mutated like everything happens by random chance, “Schwartz said. “Those who survive better than others become the ‘mutated tribe.'”
He said a new variant means a virus has taken on a new property – such as more deadly, less deadly, more contagious or more in the air.
“These strains have been shown to spread very quickly – faster than the native coronavirus,” Schwartz said. ‘They can have the potential to change into something more deadly. I do not think this is cause for panic, but it is something we should pay attention to. ”
Schwartz said scientists still have trouble identifying and preventing new flu strains.
According to Centers of Disease Control, from 2009 to 2020, flu vaccines are approximately 20% to 60% effective. In 2020, the CDC found that the vaccine was 39% effective.
“The reason we get a new flu shot every year is that the virus changes enough so that the vaccine we got the previous year is not as effective,” Benjamin said. “In some years, it changes so much that it is not effective at all.”
Every year, scientists change flu vaccines to accommodate the new strains. They first grow the virus in a hen. Then they take it out, kill it and inject the dead virus into the body to create an immune response. But monitoring and cultivating new strains takes time, according to Schwartz.
Scientists do not have time to use this method, given the rate at which COVID-19 spreads, and so they have turned to different technologies to combat COVID-19: mRNA vaccines.
While the flu shot contains the whole virus, the COVID-19 vaccine contains only genetic material of the virus called mRNA.
Benjamin said mRNA research has focused primarily on killing cancer cells and vaccinating against cancer.
“The mRNA technology is incredible,” Benjamin said. ‘It actually compares to the technology we use to make flu vaccines. I think it’s going to be very effective. He said the mRNA method would allow rapid adaptations if scientists had to create another vaccine to tackle new strains.
How effective is the current vaccine?
If an individual receives the first round of a COVID-19 vaccine, the shot is effective for about 7-10 days, Benjamin said. Individuals should be given a second chance 7-10 days later, which increases the effectiveness to almost 97%. The vaccine will be fully effective within 7-10 days after the second shot.
According to the CDC, the individual will not become COVID-19 sick, although there is a risk of allergic reactions caused by an overly sensitive immune response.
Santa Clara County last week discontinued the use of one group of vaccines, Moderna Lot 41L20A, because it could cause allergic reactions. Three days later, the health officials resumed the distribution of the group that had previously been interrupted.
The CDC recommends observing patients for 15-30 minutes after vaccination.
Read San José Spotlight’s COVD-19 vaccine guide for more information on vaccination.
Contact Carly Wipf at [email protected] or follow @CarlyChristineW on Twitter.