A worrying new coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa, known as B.1.351, has already spread to more than 30 countries. Experts are particularly concerned about this variant because of the possibility of “escaping” protection against current vaccines, which means that vaccines may not prevent people from becoming infected with COVID-19. Here’s what you need to know about the new variant.
What is it?
The B.1.351 variant is a strain of the coronavirus with eight characteristic mutations in the vein protein of the virus, the structure that allows the virus to bind to and infect human cells, according to a study by South African researchers on the preprint website has been posted. medRxiv in December 2020.
Where does it come from?
The variant was first detected in Nelson 2020, Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, in October 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It started quickly and within a few weeks it was the predominant tension in parts of the country. South African officials find the variant in more than 90% of the samples of COVID-19 patients undergoing genetic sequencing. according to The Washington Post.
“It’s amazing and frightening how quickly it has dominated,” said Dr. Richard Lessells, an expert on infectious diseases at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, told the Post.
What’s more, the variant has now appeared in at least 32 other countries; and a number of countries, including the US, have banned travel from South Africa, reports the Post.
Is it in the US?
Yes, the first two cases of B.1.351 were reported in the US in South Carolina on Thursday (January 28), according to a statement from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The two cases do not seem to be connected, and no case has had a history of recent travel, suggesting that the variant is spreading in the community.
Is it more contagious?
It appears to spread more easily, with studies finding that it is approximately 50% more transmissible than earlier strains of the coronavirus. This is worrying because the more people infected with the virus, the greater the number of people hospitalized or dying from the disease.
Do vaccines work against the South African variant?
Even more worrying is the finding that current COVID-19 vaccines may not work as well against this variant.
Johnson & Johnson on Friday (January 29) released new data on its COVID-19 vaccine candidate which showed that the vaccine was 72% effective in the US and only 57% effective in South Africa, where the new variant is the predominant factor has. Live Science reported earlier.
In addition, another vaccine manufacturer, Novavax, released early results on Thursday (January 28) showing that the vaccine was almost 85% effective against the so-called British variant, but only 50% effective in preventing infection with the South African variant. Nature reports.
This reduced efficacy is likely to occur with other vaccines as well.
A recent study of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine, which looked at blood samples from vaccinated people, found that the levels of antibodies produced in response to the South African variant were six times lower than the levels produced in response to other strains, according to The scientist.
Despite this reduction, the vaccine is expected to provide some protection against the variant, the company said in a statement.
“You can reduce the effectiveness of the antibodies by vaccine several times and still be within the protection zone,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a newsletter on Wednesday (Jan.). 27).
However, Moderna said that out of caution, the company has started working on a ‘booster’ vaccine dose against the South African variant, which could possibly be added to the two-dose range for the existing vaccine.
How does it differ from the British variant?
The British variant of the coronavirus variant was first detected in the United Kingdom in September 2020, Live Science reported earlier. Both the South African and British variants appear to be more transmissible than other strains. And the variants share the same mutations in the ear protein.
But the South African variant has a mutation known as E484K, which does not occur in the British variant. This mutation is possibly responsible for the ability of the South African variant to partially evade vaccines. The mutation is thought to reduce the ability of certain antibodies to neutralize or inactivate the virus, according to Newsweek.
There is early evidence that the British variant may be more lethal than other variants, Live Science reported earlier; but so far there is no evidence that the South African variant is more deadly.
Am I immune to the South African variant if I have had a coronavirus?
Maybe not. The E484K mutation may also reduce the ability of natural COVID-19 infection antibodies to neutralize the virus.
In the Novavax trial in South Africa, many of the people were infected with the South African variant again after contracting the virus earlier in the pandemic.
And in a study among 44 people in South Africa who were previously infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic, more than 90% showed reduced immunity to the new variant when researchers tested their blood, and almost half had no protection had against it. on USA Today.
Originally published on Live Science.