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The new mutation of the coronavirus, which can be up to 70% more transmissible than the previous one, is not a cause for panic, says Felipe Gomes Naveca, deputy director of Research at Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz) in the Amazon. In an interview today with GloboNews, the expert says that it is necessary to deepen the studies.
“It is not a cause for panic, but that we are more alert. The researchers themselves [do Reino Unido] commented that one cannot be absolutely sure that the mutation has this evolutionary advantage [de se espalhar mais rapidamente] or if it is a coincidence with the social behavior of the people, who relaxed their distance ”, he reflected.
On the 14th, the United Kingdom announced the discovery of a new strain of the coronavirus; there is no evidence yet that the mutation is more aggressive or lethal to humans or that current vaccines lose efficacy relative to the new strain.
About 60% of recent cases detected in the UK were caused by the modified virus. To prevent the new strain from circulating, countries such as France, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Portugal have suspended flights and rail connections with the United Kingdom. In Brazil, international flights from the country have not yet been suspended.
According to the deputy director of Fiocruz, it is necessary to deepen the investigation to confirm the ease of propagation of the new strain. “The variant showed mutations in the spike protein, which makes the first interaction with the cell. From that interaction, [o coronavírus] manages to enter the cell. So if I have a protein that can better interact with the human cell, this virus is easier to spread. This is potentially important. “
To date, cases of the new coronavirus strain have been reported in the United Kingdom, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark, according to WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove.
