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Ten states have already identified cases of the Brazilian variant of the coronavirus, called P.1, the Health Ministry said on Friday (12).
Target of analysis due to the possibility of being more transmissible, the variant was identified in January in Amazonas, where it already accounts for most of the cases observed, according to Fiocruz.
Now, data collected by the ministry’s technical watchdog group indicates that it has already been identified in nine other states.
In three of them, Pará, Roraima and Ceará, the variant was identified in isolated cases, some of them even without an epidemiological link with the Amazon.
In another six (Paraíba, Piauí, São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Santa Catarina and Rio de Janeiro), the variant was observed in cases imported from Amazonas, that is, in which genomic analysis and sequencing of patient samples were performed in the state.
The portfolio also released information on two other variants that are found in other countries and that are also a current concern.
This is the case of the United Kingdom variant, already identified in São Paulo, the Federal District and Rio de Janeiro, through the analysis of isolated cases, according to the portfolio.
The variant identified in South Africa, on the other hand, does not yet have a circulation record in Brazil.
According to the ministry, the most prevalent strains of the coronavirus remain B.1.1.28 and B.1.1.33, which have been in circulation since the start of the epidemic.
The identification of variants in Manaus and the United Kingdom in more states, however, reinforces the need for preventive measures, the folder says.
The circulation alert of this new variant to the population is relevant so that people do not neglect preventive and non-pharmacological measures to deal with the disease: wash hands with soap and water, use a mask, use alcohol gel and maintain distance. social, “he says.
Currently, the so-called genomic surveillance is carried out in the health network mainly by three laboratories: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Adolfo Lutz Institute and Evandro Chagas Institute. Each month, states send a specific number of samples to these locations.
In addition to these, other public and private laboratories also perform these analyzes. However, the lack of resources and the difficulty in obtaining inputs make it difficult to expand this surveillance, necessary to identify new variants of Sars-CoV-2.
In a note, the ministry says that “since the first report of possible cases of Covid-19 variants, it has been issuing communications to states directing the expansion of routine sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 viruses, the continued strengthening of the control of Covid-19 activities and investigation of the case “.
The folder recently started a pilot project to test 1,200 coronavirus samples, in an attempt to expand surveillance. The work must involve four laboratories (Adolfo Lutz, Evandro Chagas, and the public health laboratories of Bahía and Minas Gerais).
“It is important to note that genetic sequencing is not a test to confirm the disease, its purpose is to monitor the circulation of a different variant. Therefore, it is not necessary for all samples positive for Covid-19 by RT-PCR to be sent for sequencing, “the folder notes.
This Tuesday, the WHO (World Health Organization) issued an alert in its epidemiological bulletin about the possible reduction in the action of neutralizing antibodies, capable of blocking the action of the virus in the body, due to the P.1 variant.
According to the organization, “the mutations found in the P.1 variant can reduce neutralization by antibodies; however, more studies are needed to assess whether there are changes in the transmission, severity or action of neutralizing antibodies as a result of this new variant. “
Dozens of different strains of the virus have been identified around the world, but only a few are of concern and need further research, such as VOCs (short for Variants of Concern).
In general, VOCs have mutations in regions called receptor-binding domain, that is, they are areas directly associated with the entry of the virus into cells, in particular in the Spike protein S (spike, the hook that Sars-CoV- 2 used to enter cells).
