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The mutation of the spike protein of the new coronavirus has caught the attention of scientists
A new mutated coronavirus has emerged in south-east England, and scientists are closely watching the impact of the new strain on the development of the epidemic.
There is no definitive evidence to show whether the new mutated coronavirus is more likely to spread, cause more severe symptoms, or even render the vaccine ineffective.
Regarding the mutation of viruses and the appearance of new strains, the most important question is “has the behavior of the virus changed after the mutation of the new strain?”
The first reaction of many people when they hear that the virus has mutated is to worry, but the mutation is also the instinct of the virus.
In most cases, the virus changes unnecessarily and, as a result, it becomes less susceptible to infection and the new strain slowly disappears. Sometimes the virus mutates and the new strain becomes more infectious.
The BBC health reporter Gallagher solved the following questions.
Is the mutated virus most infectious?
There are two reasons why scientists must continually observe the new mutated coronavirus.
The first point is that scientists have found that when the number of new coronavirus infections is high, the degree of mutation of the strain is also relatively high.
This is a warning sign that can be explained in two ways: The virus can mutate and become more contagious, leading to more infections.
But another explanation may be that the virus is simply “good luck”, infecting someone in an ideal state and then spreading the virus through the infected person.
Careful research is needed in the laboratory to determine whether this new variant virus strain is more likely to spread than other viruses.
How does the virus mutate?
The second issue that worries scientists is how the virus mutates.
Nick Loman, an expert on the British coronavirus genome (COG-UK), said: “There are many mutations in the new coronavirus, more than we thought. Some of these mutations deserve attention.”
There are two main variants, both of which appear in the spike protein of the new coronavirus. The spike protein is an important part of the virus for unlocking and entering human cells.
The mutant strain N501 changes the most important “binding receptor” of the new coronavirus peak. This is where the spike of the virus first comes into contact with human cells. Any mutation that makes it easier for the virus to enter the cell will give you more advantages.
Roman said that from this point of view, this mutant strain is of great concern.
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Mass vaccination will also put new pressure on the new coronavirus and cause the virus to mutate
Another mutant strain is the H69 / V70 deletion, which has appeared several times before, including mink infected with the new coronavirus.
Scientists worry that the antibodies in the blood of survivors who have been infected with the new coronavirus may be weaker against this mutant strain.
But concerns about this aspect also require more experimentation and research to determine them.
Professor Alan McNally from the University of Birmingham said that the new corona virus has mutations, but it is too early to infer the possible impact of these mutations on the development of the epidemic.
Is the vaccine still effective?
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The spike protein mutation of the new coronavirus has begun to question whether this will affect the effectiveness of the vaccine, because three fast-moving vaccines like Pfizer, Modena and Oxford train the human immune system against the spike of the virus.
However, the human immune system also learns to fight off different parts of the virus spike, so health officials still believe that the new coronavirus vaccine is still effective against the mutant strain.
The new coronavirus first evolved in animals and only infected humans about a year ago.
After that, the new coronavirus mutated about twice a month. Compare today’s sample to the virus that broke out in Wuhan. There may be 25 mutations in between.
Until now, the new coronavirus is constantly trying different changes to infect humans. A similar situation has occurred before, and the G614 mutant strain has caused many people to worry about increased infectivity.
Mass vaccination will also bring new pressure, or motivation, to the new coronavirus, because the virus needs to change to infect those who have been vaccinated.
If the virus evolves and can infect people who have been vaccinated, then we must constantly update the vaccine, just like when it comes to influenza, to catch up with the rate of mutation of the virus.
