Healthcare professionals enter visitor information on laptops before administering doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Mother and Child Hospital in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sunday, January 10, 2021.
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Viruses are constantly mutating, so it is not surprising that the coronavirus that originated late in China has gone through several small variations. But it has also undergone several major mutations, and is likely to see more, significant variations.
Recently, strains have emerged in South Africa and the United Kingdom that have raised concerns about the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines. There is also a suspected new strain in the US, while the Coronavirus task force in the White House warned early in the new year that there could be a new, more transmissible variant of the virus that has developed in the US and is spreading , according to a document obtained by NBC News.
And on Sunday, the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases said it had discovered a new variant of the coronavirus in four travelers arriving from Brazil.
In essence, scientists are concerned about any major changes to the so-called ear protein of the virus. It contains the receptor-binding domain and is used by the virus to gain access to cells in the body.
As such, mutations can not only make the virus more contagious, it can also mean that vaccines become less potent and need to be updated.
The ‘British variant’
A new variant was reported on 14 December by British health officials to the World Health Organization now formally known as ‘VOC 202012/01’ (which stands for ‘variant of concern, year 2020, month 12, variant 01’) .
The variant was first detected in a patient in Kent, South East England, in September. It then spread rapidly to London. With infections increasing in both regions, early analysis suggested that it could be up to 70% more transmissible than the old variant that had spread across the country.
The news of the new variant forced many countries to ban flights from the UK to endure the new tension, and led to the country’s government having to remove a planned easing of social restrictions over Christmas. Nevertheless, the mutation has caused a huge increase in infections, with the number of new daily cases exceeding 50,000 since December 28th.
The WHO notes that “how and where SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01 originated is unclear”, although scientists are investigating whether the mutation emerged in patients with a weaker immune system who had long-term coronavirus infections , which gives the virus the opportunity and time to develop so that it can spread faster.
The ‘South African variant’
South African authorities announced on the heels of the news from the United Kingdom on 18 December that the detection of a mutation that had spread rapidly in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. It has now become the country’s dominant strain of the coronavirus.
South Africa named the variant ‘501Y.V2’ because of the N501Y mutation found in the ear protein. This mutation, among others, has also been found in the new British tribe, and as such is considered more transmissible.
The South African strain does contain other mutations, and this has caused concern that it may be more resistant to coronavirus vaccines. However, most scientists expect that the vaccines will work despite the mutation and that vaccines will be regularly adapted for new virus strains, such as the common flu.
The ‘Denmark mink variant’
Another coronavirus variant that emerged in Denmark last summer was linked to the country’s large mink farming sector. Since June, 214 cases of Covid-19 have been identified in Denmark with variants associated with cultivated mink. Twelve of these cases were identified as a unique variant reported to the WHO on 5 November.
The new strain was found in northern Jutland in Denmark and has been linked to infections among cultured mink that have since been transmitted to humans.
Minks will be seen on October 9, 2020 on a farm in Gjol, Northern Denmark.
HENNING BAGGER | Ritzau Scanpix | AFP via Getty Images
“The variant, called the ‘Cluster 5’ variant by the Danish authorities, had a combination of mutations not previously observed,” the WHO noted. It added that it had raised concerns that it ‘could lead to reduced virus neutralization in humans, which could reduce the prolongation and duration of immune protection to natural infection or vaccination.’
Studies are being continued to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with people with this variant. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, and the WHO, it no longer appears to be transmissible. Denmark acted drastically and culled 17 million bred mink.
Early mutation in China
The WHO notes that a variant of the coronavirus appeared early in the pandemic (indeed, before it was declared a global pandemic even in March 2020), and notes that a new strain with a mutation known as ” D614G “at the end of January, or early February 2020.
After a few months, it became the dominant strain of the virus we know today, the WHO said. “Over a period of several months, the D614G mutation replaced the initial SARS-CoV-2 strain identified in China and by June 2020 became the dominant form of the virus circulating worldwide.”
Studies in respiratory cells and animal models of humans have shown that the newer strain increased in infectivity and transmission compared to the initial virus strain. However, the new variant was not considered a serious illness or the efficacy of existing laboratory diagnostics, therapeutic agents, vaccines or preventative measures for public health.
No blame game
While variants are sometimes referred to as “the British strain” or “Denmark mutation”, experts say it is important to note that the origin of these viruses is ultimately difficult to prove and that countries should not be blamed for other mutations. not.
US President Donald Trump has also been criticized for calling Covid-19 “the China virus”. The coronavirus may have originated in China, but we do not yet know its origin and a team of WHO experts is traveling to China this week to investigate. For now, scientists mostly believe that the virus of an animal species, possibly from bats, was transmitted to humans.
Many countries where variants have been discovered – including the United Kingdom, Denmark and South Africa – are known for their regular monitoring and sequencing of the virus’ genetic code, and are therefore at the forefront of detecting mutations. The WHO and other public agencies, such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the EU ECDC, are kept up to date by scientists around the world as large variants emerge.