A new Covid variant has been discovered – this is what we know so far

LONDON – A new coronavirus variant identified in Brazil has exacerbated concerns among public health experts, leading to warnings that additional new strains are likely to develop.

The news about the variant in Brazil comes after two separate mutant strains of the virus were discovered in the United Kingdom and South Africa earlier this year.

Researchers are urgently studying the Covid variants, which are thought to have similar characteristics, in order to gain a better understanding of the threat they pose.

Viruses mutate naturally and there is no evidence that the newly discovered strains have serious diseases.

However, the Covid variant is thought to be more transmissible than the original one that started the pandemic, and this could lead to a greater number of serious infections and additional deaths.

Health authorities have recommended hand washing, physical distance and the use of personal protective equipment as a way to prevent virus spread.

Earlier this month, the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) said that on January 2, it detected a new Covid variant in four travelers from the Amazon state in Brazil.

One man in his forties, who was found to be asymptomatic upon his arrival in Japan, was admitted to hospital when his respiratory condition worsened. One woman in her thirties reported sore throat and headache, one man between 10 and 19 years old had a fever and one young woman over 10 was asymptomatic.

The variant of the virus belongs to the B.1.1.248 strain and has 12 mutations in the vein protein, the NIID said. Spinal proteins are used by the virus to gain access to cells in the body.

The NIID said it was difficult to immediately determine how contagious the new strain was and the effectiveness of vaccines against it.

To date, Brazil has recorded more than 8.3 million cases of Covid and 207,000 virus deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The South American country ranks second in the United States for Covid-related deaths worldwide.

The United Kingdom on Friday imposed a ban on travelers from South America (and Portugal and Cape Verde) in an effort to stop people from bringing the new variant to the country.

The country’s transport minister, Grant Shapps, told the BBC it was a precautionary measure. He added that scientists think the coronavirus vaccines will work on the new variant.

“We looked at this particular mutation, unlike many other thousands, very carefully. There is a problem, not so much that the vaccine will not work, scientists think it will work, but just the fact that it is more widespread, “Shapps said according to Reuters.

Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser at the UK, told ITV on Thursday that there was a bit more risk involved with the Covid variant identified in Brazil when it came to vaccine efficacy. .

On 14 December, UK health authorities reported a variant to the WHO identified as SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01. It is unclear how the new strain originated, but preliminary findings have determined that it is highly contagious.

It initially appeared in south-east England, but has since become the dominant tribe in large parts of Britain and has spread to more than 50 other countries. As a result, many countries have banned travelers from the United Kingdom.

Separately, national authorities in South Africa announced on 18 December the detection of variant 501Y.V2. Preliminary studies have shown that the 501Y.V2 variant also increased portability. It has since been found in at least 20 other countries.

The variants, which originated separately, both have a genetic mutation of the ear protein.

Studies are being continued to understand the transmissibility and severity of the newly discovered Covid variant, as well as its potential impact on vaccines.

After about 10 months of relative inactivity, “we began to see a striking evolution of SARS-CoV-2 with a repeated evolutionary pattern in the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern from the UK, South Africa and Brazil, “Dr. Trevor Bedford, a virologist and associate professor at the University of Washington, said via Twitter on Thursday.

Bedford, who also works with Fred Hutch’s division for vaccines and infectious diseases, warned that the hypothesis is ‘very speculative’ at this stage. “But separately, the fact that we’re emerging three variants of concern since September suggests that there are likely to be more.”

To date, more than 93.2 million people have contracted Covid-19 worldwide, with 1.99 million deaths.

Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, said on Friday that the world “has become the playground of the virus to change and develop (especially) in countries that have allowed higher prevalence.”