YYou have probably read a lot these days about the new strains of the coronavirus that are spreading around the world, from Brazil to South Africa. You have probably also wrestled a lot with the possibility that these mutations will make our vaccines disappear, just as we are finally starting to abolish vaccination programs. But unlike some of this scary news, the reality of when and why SARS–CoV–2 (ie the new coronavirus) mutate and what it means for vaccines is much more nuanced – and probably not as judgmental as you might believe according to some news coverage. We talked to top virologists to unpack everything you need to know about the different strains of COVID-19, and here’s what they had to say:
How and why viruses mutate
If you get sick with a virus like the new coronavirus, ‘it’s not really a single virus [particle] which infects you. It is a population of viruses, ”explains Richard Kennedy, PhD, a virologist and vaccine researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. You can become infected by 100 or even 10,000 different viral particles. Each particle has its own slightly different genetic code, just as two people have slightly different genetic codes.
Changes to this code only occur when the virus repeats itself – also making copies of itself to survive. To be able to replicate, a virus needs two things: a human cell (whose machinery chops it to help replicate it) and a specific enzyme that brings it together to copy its genome (essential for the replication process ). This enzyme serves as an inexpensive copying machine, explains Dr. Kennedy. ‘The copier is not really good. It makes mistakes left and right, ”he adds. These genetic defects are eventually coded in the genome of all the new viruses that are created in that single infected cell.
These errors occur fairly frequently and randomly. Many come and go because they give the virus no real benefit; some make the virus even less capable of infecting a cell. “Most mutations are expected to have no effect on the function of the virus or on how we experience it,” said Lucy van Dorp, PhD, an expert in pathogen evolution and a senior research fellow at University College London. Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment.
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Sometimes, however, a mutation creates an advantage for the virus. ‘Maybe the virus can infect other cells faster, or it gets attached to the cells a little better. “It survives a little longer in the environment, or produces more viruses,” says Dr. Kennedy. “Because all variants of the virus try to compete for the same number of cells that can be infected in a person’s body, beneficial mutations can occur.” surpasses a variant to surpass other viruses. Eventually, stress becomes the predominant variant in someone’s body – and becomes the variant that is spread to other people, says Dr. Kennedy.
How much a given mutation spreads from there depends on several factors, explains Dr. Kennedy, including how beneficial the mutation is to the virus and how many people could possibly catch the variant. “Most will go nowhere,” he says. “It’s the [variants] it appears, then it is 5, 10 and 90 percent – these are the ones we are concerned about because it indicates that they have an advantage and therefore they are distributed among the population. ‘And given that there have been more than 27 million cases of coronavirus in the US to date, that gives the virus enough time and opportunity to mutate – and that the more beneficial mutations can thrive.
The different strains of COVID-19 that scientists are looking at
Scientists around the world are monitoring mutations (known as genomic surveillance) at different rates. The United Kingdom, for example, is currently sequencing the genome in 47.3 of the 1,000 COVID-19 cases, while the U.S. 3.23 of the 1,000 cases. By detecting the genome of the virus, scientists can quickly identify and isolate new variants and update vaccines accordingly.
There are three strains that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively looking at, as they have all been found in the US and look so far faster than other variants.
The United Kingdom (UK) variant B.1.1.7
According to the researchers, the UK version of the first fall was found last December and in December in the US. It is 50 to 75 percent more transmissible than the original virus. “We pay a lot of attention because there are several mutations in the ear protein,” says Dr. Kennedy, referring to the unique protein structure on the outside of the coronavirus that is used to penetrate and infect cells. “There is evidence that makes the variant more transmissible – that infected people have more viruses in them and that their virus load is higher,” says Dr. Kennedy. Indeed, a January CDC report estimated that the British variant could become the predominant variant in March without further measures to control its distribution.
Some researchers in the UK initially reported that this variant could be 30 to 40 per cent more lethal than previous variants, although the studies are small and unconvincing. “Time will tell as we gather more information about the virus,” said Dr. Kennedy.
South Africa variant B.1.351
The South African variant shares some mutations with the British variant. Some researchers have also expressed concern about the ability to evade antibodies (proteins released by the immune system to attack foreign invaders such as viruses), which may reduce the effectiveness of current vaccines.
“The South African variant has at least three mutations, and they are exactly where the ear protein binds to the cellular receptor,” says Dr. Kennedy. ‘It is [the area] where neutralizing antibodies, due to infection or vaccination, target. According to him, the concern is that mutations to the important place on the virus can help to avoid antibodies. If this theory expands, it could mean that our current vaccines are not as effective (as they generate antibodies that may not be effective against the mutation), so you could be re-infected with this variant, even if you are already sick with or vaccinated against COVID-19.
Brazil variant P.1
With more mutations than the British or South African variant, the Brazilian variant may be better at evading antibodies produced by the body to eradicate them, which could potentially kill the virus. ‘The Brazilian variant has exactly the same three mutations in the ear protein [as the South African variant], so we’ll probably also see a reduced neutralizing ability of the one, ‘says Dr Kennedy. ‘Once we start vaccinating, it’s likely to spread a bit more in the community once it starts evading vaccine protection. But what happens if it accumulates more mutations? This is always the concern. ”
What it means for vaccines
Everything about the new variations sounds worrying, but scientists stress that the different strains of COVID-19 should not keep the average citizen awake at night. Some experts argue that we simply do not yet have enough data to know how these new variants will affect us, period. “There is no evidence of increased transmissibility or lethality of the new virus variants,” said Theodora Hatziioannou, PhD, a virologist at Rockefeller University who is studying the new variants.
Here’s the discount on how vaccines work – including some of the latest COVID-19 vaccines:
There is also mixed evidence that these COVID-19 strains may affect the efficacy of the available vaccines. In January, the biotechnology company Novavax reported its phase three results on the vaccination of coronavirus vaccine. Its vaccine has almost 90 percent efficacy in the United States and the United States, but only 60 percent in South Africa. “Part of it may be due to different populations and different underlying health conditions,” says Dr. Kennedy. “But it could also be because the South African variant was present.” Johnson & Johnson’s phase three clinical trials show that the single-dose vaccine was 72 percent effective in the US, but 57 percent effective in South Africa, where 95 percent of the COVID-19 cases were linked to the South African variant. at the time of the trial. And AstraZeneca has just launched its vaccination in South Africa after the trial found that the shot offers ‘minimal protection’ against mild to moderate cases.
‘There are already some data that indicate that vaccines will not be as effective. But the other side is 57 to 66 percent, which is much better than 0 percent, ‘adds dr. Kennedy by.
For now, the CDC says that the antibodies produced by the existing vaccines seem to recognize the most important variants and can therefore combat them. But more studies are underway to better understand the effectiveness of the vaccines used and developed against these strains. In addition, pharmaceutical companies are designing new vaccines to address the South African variant, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing a rapid review process for rapid approval of booster shots if current shots appear to be available. is ineffective against new coronavirus variants.
“It’s going to be an ongoing race. What is likely to happen is that, like flu, we may need to change the vaccine used regularly, which is why we need to get a COVID-19 vaccine every few years. They will just keep changing it to keep up with the mutations, ”says Dr Kennedy. There is also good reason to hope that existing vaccines will continue to tame the pandemic. Johnson & Johnson’s phase three trial, for example, found that people who became ill after vaccination had less serious illnesses.
How to protect yourself
At best, approved vaccines will still be put into mass production and distributed rapidly, while scientists feed an ongoing pipeline of new and improved vaccines. The problem remains that scientists are not yet sure whether vaccines prevent you from spreading the virus. ‘You may still have a virus in you and can transmit it, but you simply have no symptoms. This is especially true, given the fact that this virus mutates, and it already evades at least part of the immune protection, ‘says dr. Kennedy.
Since the only time the virus can change and produce new variants when it infects a person is the only way to prevent new variants from appearing and spreading, to reduce transmissions, says Dr. Kennedy. This means that it is important for all of us to continue with masking (or even double masking for stronger protection) and social distance, even if we have already been vaccinated. “It’s painful, annoying and uncomfortable, but if we want to defeat this pandemic, it’s basically the only way to do it,” says Dr. Kennedy.
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