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About 20 states across the country have so far detected the more transmissible B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant. Given the unknowns of the emerging situation, experts from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) addressed the effectiveness of the vaccine, how well equipped the United States is to detect new mutations and shared their impressions of Pres. Joe Biden’s executive orders of COVID-19.
Dr Mirella Salvatore
One of the biggest concerns remains the ability of COVID-19 vaccines to work on new strains. “All of our vaccines are targeted at the protein and try to obtain neutralizing antibodies that bind to that protein,” Mirella Salvatore, MD, medical professor of medicine and health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, told a news conference. of IDSA said. on Thursday.
The B.1.1.7 mutation occurs in the ‘very important’ ear protein, a component of the SARS-CoV-2 virus needed for binding, which can enter the virus into cells, said Salvatore, an IDSA -community, added.
The evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 should be able to produce one or two mutations per month. However, the B.1.1.7 variant surprised researchers in the UK when they first discovered that the strain had 17 mutations, Salvatore said.
It is still unknown why this particular transmission is more transmissible, but Salvatore has speculated that the mutation gives the virus an advantage and increases the binding so that it can enter the cells more easily. She added that the mutations originated among immunocompromised people infected with SARS-CoV-2, but “this is just a hypothesis.”
Dr. Kathryn Edwards
On a positive note, Kathryn M. Edwards, MD, another IDSA fellow, explained during the briefing that the existing vaccines target more than one spot on the protein of the virus. Therefore, “if there is a mutation that changes one structure of the ear protein, there will be other areas where the binding can take place.”
This polyclonal response “is why the vaccine may still be effective against this virus,” adds Edwards, scientific director of the Vanderbilt vaccine research program and professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.
Salvatore stressed that while the new variant is more communicable, it does not look more deadly. “It can affect the overall mortality rate, but not for the person who gets the infection.”
Staying one step ahead
Asked about the assurance that COVID-19 vaccines will work against emerging variants, Edwards said: ‘It is possible that we need to change the vaccine so that it responds better to new variants, but at this stage this does not seem to be the case. not. . “
If the vaccines need to be updated, the mRNA vaccines have an advantage – researchers can quickly review them. “All you have to do is put all the little nucleotides together,” Edwards said.
“A few of us are watching how it’s going to work, and we’re looking at flu,” she added. Edwards showed an analogy of choosing and sometimes updating the flu strains for the annual flu vaccine. With appropriate funding, the same system can be repeated to address changes to SARS-CoV-2, she said.
On funding, Salvatore said more money is needed to optimize the emerging tribal oversight system in the United States.
“We actually have this system – there’s an amazing network that sequences the flu strains,” she said. “The structure exists, we just need the funding.”
“The CDC is preparing the system to allow more viruses to sequence,” Edwards said.
Both experts praised the CDC for its updated oversight website on emerging strains of SARS-CoV-2.
Biden’s support of science
A reporter asked every knowledgeable infectious disease expert to share their impression of Biden’s newly signed COVID-19 executive orders.
“The biggest takeaway is the role of science and the lessons we learned from masks, hand washing and distancing,” Edwards said. “We must heed the advice …[especially] with an infectious variant.
“It’s encouraging to listen to science – that’s the overall message,” she added.
Salvatore agreed, saying the orders “give the impression that we can act now by following science.”
“We have a lot of papers that show the effectiveness of masking,” she said, for example. Salvatore acknowledged that there are quite a few contrasting ideas about masking in the United States, but stressed their importance.
“We need to take measures that we know work,” she said.
Both experts said more research is needed to advance this evolving scenario. “We still need a lot of basic science to show how this virus repeats itself in the cell,” Salvatore said. “We really need to characterize all of these mutations and their functions.”
“We have to worry, do follow-up studies,” she added, “but we don’t have to panic.”
This article was based on a Media Briefing of the Infectious Diseases Society of America on January 21, 2021. Salvatore revealed that she is a website PI on a study by the Verily life sciences LLC / Brin Foundation on predictors of severe COVID 19 outcomes (PRESCO) and PI for a research-initiated study sponsored by Genentech on combination therapy in influenza. Edwards announced NIH and CDC grants; consultation for Bionet and IBM; and be a member of data security and monitoring committees for Sanofi, X-4 Pharma, Seqirus, Moderna, Pfizer and Merck.
Damian McNamara is a staff journalist in Miami. He covers a wide range of medical specialties, including infectious diseases, gastroenterology and critical care. Follow Damian on Twitter: @MedReporter.
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