A potentially alarming variant of the coronavirus first identified in India – so new that it has no official name – has been found in California by scientists at Stanford University.
Nicknamed the “double mutant” variant by the BBC and others, it raises concerns among some scientists because it contains not just one, but two worrying mutations in its genetic makeup, which have been identified among other variants detected by the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We do not know how these two mutations behave when they are paired together,” said Dr. Benjamin Pinsky, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Stanford, said in an interview Monday.
The existence of the newly discovered variant was first announced by the Indian government on March 24, Pinsky said after a surge of coronavirus cases was detected in the second populated state of Maharashtra, of which the largest city is Mumbai. The new variant accounts for about 15% to 20% of new cases of coronavirus.
A day later, on March 25, the Stanford Laboratory identified the same variant in a coronavirus sample taken from a patient in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“On the 25th, we actually got our order back and found that ‘Wow, this is actually the same variant they’re talking about,’ ‘Pinsky said.” This rapid spread around the world is therefore quite impressive, and also a a little worrying. “
Why this new variant may be of concern
The Stanford Laboratory has identified one confirmed case of the new variant and seven suspected cases among samples from patients in the Bay, Pinsky said.
None of the other variants monitored by federal officials have the same combination of these two mutations, known as L452R and E484Q, the latter of which is closely related to a more well-known mutation known as E484K.
The L452R mutation became known in California as one found in the California variant (B.1.427 / B.1.429), which led to a strain that is thought to make the virus more contagious and may reduce immunity in people vaccinated is.
The E484Q mutation is closely related to the E484K mutation, which was found in variants first identified in South Africa (B.1.351); Brazil (P.1 and P.2) and New York (B.1.526). The E484K mutation is also of concern because it may give the virus the ability to partially evade the immune system’s protective response among vaccinated people or those who have survived a conventional COVID-19 disease.
‘What we do not know is how the [two mutations] will act when they are placed in the same virus, ”Pinsky said. ‘There is a fair amount of information on this [two mutations] individually. But will it be worse if they are together? We do not really know how they are going to interact. ”
The Stanford Laboratory regularly conducts genetic analyzes for coronavirus samples among COVID-19 patients in the Bay. They look for three worrying mutations: L452R, E484K and N501Y. The N501Y mutation – which presumably increases the transmittance of the coronavirus – is found in the British variant (B.1.1.7), as well as the South African variant and one of the Brazilian variants (P.1).
The Stanford laboratory was able to detect the new variant’s E484Q mutation, although the laboratory was designed to detect only the closely related E484K mutation. “So it’s coincidental that we were able to identify it,” Pinsky said.
Variant emphasizes the importance of vaccinations
The emergence of the new variant emphasizes how important it is to vaccinate as many people as possible quickly. The best-known New York variant, B.1.526, presumably originated in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan and then spread rapidly through the city, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading expert in infectious diseases, said at a briefing last month.
One way variants can arise is through the infection of a single person with an affected immune system, dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in March.
A coronavirus infection in a person with a weak immune system can be the breeding ground for variants for the simple reason that if you do not clear up the virus quickly, you will have immunological selection within a given individual. , ”Which means that the virus can develop in the person to become even stronger.
‘That was probably how it all started [New York’s B.1.526 variant], ”Fauci said on March 1.
The only way to limit the creation of new variants is to delay the transmission of the virus.
A potential nightmare scenario could be the result of the spread of variants such as the kind that hit Brazil. The city of Manaus was one of the hardest hit in the world with a conventional strain of the coronavirus, and it now appears that there is very significant reinfection with the new Brazilian variant, Dr Stefano Bertozzi, professor of health policy and dean of emeritus. of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, said at a UC San Francisco forum last month.
However, it is believed that immunity produced by vaccines is superior to immunity produced by COVID-19.
And while it is likely to be believed that some variants slightly reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines, some experts say that the reduction equates to only mild to moderate disease.
Vaccinations now available and under development were essentially 100% protective against death – even in places where the variants were widespread.
For example, COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, Novavax and AstraZeneca have been studied in South Africa, and ‘all have shown reduced efficacy compared to studies conducted in other parts of the world. [the South African B.1.351 variant] was not present, “said Pinsky. ‘However, it is important to note that all vaccines are very effective in preventing serious diseases and death. In fact, all the vaccines so far are 100% effective. ”
“Vaccines can tackle these variants effectively,” Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 response team, said Monday.
“We are worried”
Asked about the new variant, Barbara Ferrer, director of public health in Los Angeles County, said, “We are like everyone else worried.”
“The tool we currently have for everyone is to prevent as much transmission as possible, because that means the variants are not circulating either,” Ferrer said at a briefing on Monday. “The more we have transfer, the more it is [that] variants hold batter. ”
The British variant is the most commonly found in the United States. More than 15,000 cases have been reported in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In contrast, the South African variant has been detected in more than 300 cases, and the Brazilian P.1 variant has been identified in more than 200 cases – and none of these variants have been detected in every state.
In California, the two most dominant variants are the California and UK variants. The California Department of Public Health has recorded more than 9,000 cases of the California variant and 851 of the British variant. There were 35 cases of the Brazilian P.1 variant, 33 cases of the New York B.1.526 variant, 22 cases of the Brazilian P.2 variant and 10 cases of the South African variant.
In the province of LA, the South African, British and Brazilian variants have been detected, but none of them dominate the area, Ferrer said.
“We want to keep it that way. So let’s all do our part: let’s be vaccinated if it’s our turn, ”she said.
The rise of the new variant comes because other pandemic indicators in California are better than in most of the state.
‘California now has the lowest positivity rate in the countryGovernor Gavin Newsom tweeted on Monday. Among all states, California also has the third lowest case of coronavirus per capita in the country, according to the CDC, with 46 new cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants over the past seven days. Only Oklahoma and Arkansas reported lower rates.
Michigan, meanwhile, has the worst case in the country, with 452.5 cases per 100,000 residents in the past week, followed by New Jersey and New York.
Yet officials have expressed concern that the situation in California could worsen if people suddenly decide to stop wearing masks and gather in crowds. Only one-third of California residents are vaccinated at least in part.
‘Our reality, with more variability and increase in cases across the country and a large part of the world, and much more mixing here in LA County, is such that we will have to continue to take safety measures. to follow public health until more people are vaccinated if we want to keep our profits, ”Ferrer said.
Lin reported from San Francisco, Money from Los Angeles.