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The new variant of the coronavirus indicates faster transmission by up to 70% (Photo: CDC / Unsplash)
A new variant of the coronavirus It has left researchers and authorities on alert across Europe since the UK announced the virus switch. This is because the mutation indicates transmission more quickly by up to 70%.. The variant caused the countries of the bloc to adopt more restrictions to try to combat the pandemic. The announcement also prompted several countries to close their air and sea borders with British territory to prevent the mutation from spreading.
But why is this mutation attracting so much attention if it is normal for viruses to constantly mutate? According to British scientists, this particular variant is causing concern for three main reasons: it is rapidly replacing other versions of the virus; you have mutations that affect parts of the virus that are likely to be important; and it has already been discovered in the laboratory that some of these mutations can increase the virus’s ability to infect cells in the body.
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The notes give rise to a worrisome scenario amid so many uncertainties about Covid-19. The main fear with this variant, called the H69 / V70, is its rapid spread.
Appearance
There are two points about the appearance of the variant: it is believed that it appeared in a patient from the United Kingdom or that it was imported from a country with less capacity to monitor coronavirus mutations. Currently, it is very present throughout the United Kingdom, except for Northern Ireland.
This version of the coronavirus variant was first detected in September, and the first three confirmed cases outside of England (in Australia and Denmark) have links to the London outbreak.
Data from the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) show that the new strain has been in circulation since November, when about a quarter of cases in London were caused by this new variant, increasing to nearly two-thirds the cases in mid-December.
Also according to ECDC, the variant “already has an international diffusion, although the extension is not known.” Italy has also identified a first case linked to a person who recently returned from London, in addition to the Netherlands, Belgium and South Africa.
The institution reports that “there are no indications at the time of a greater severity of the infection linked to this new mutation”, but points out that the transmission phase occurred at a time of year in which “traditionally family and social contacts increase ”.
According to the Nextstrain portal, which monitors the genetic codes of viral samples around the world, registered cases of the variant in Denmark and Australia indicate that they came from the United Kingdom.
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Other virus mutations
Currently, the main Sars-CoV-2 mutation had occurred in Europe in February: the virus that came from China underwent a change, called the G614 mutation, and became more contagious than the Asian “version”, becoming the strain la most incidents around the world.
If the change follows the G614 “roadmap”, the greater impact will be on the spread of the disease than on mortality. However, more studies are still needed
Will vaccines work against the new variant?
Yes, it is believed, at least for now. “Given the current lack of data on this new variant that has spread outside the UK, timely efforts to prevent and control contagion are useful,” says the ECDC.
So far, however, the Institute does not believe that H69 / V70 will cause changes that can render Covid-19 vaccines ineffective, which are already being applied in several countries. The information is from the UOL portal.
Read also | WHO rules out impact of coronavirus mutation on vaccine production
