[ad_1]
Last week, UK health authorities told the world that they identified the circulation of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes covid-19, which is spreading very quickly.
This new variant was tested at Porton Down, a sophisticated Government laboratory in the county of Wiltshire (southern English), and up to that time more than a thousand cases had been identified, especially in the south of England, by which the British authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO).
This weekend, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed that analyzes carried out on this new variant of SARS-CoV-2 showed that Although it has an increase in its transmission capacity of 70 percent, it has not shown that it is more serious in its outcomes.
(Read also: With 1.7 million doses of Pfizer vaccination begins in February)
In its communication, the ECDC noted that it is conducting studies to determine, among other things, the risk of reinfections and the impact of this new variant on the vaccines that have been developed. And he concluded by saying that “since there is insufficient evidence to reveal to what extent the new variant of the virus has been transmitted outside the United Kingdom, specific efforts are necessary to prevent and control its spread”.
As a result, dozens of countries, including Colombia, canceled air connections with that country. However, Several cases of this new variant were detected, at least in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and South Africa.
What is known about this variant?
According to Patrick Vallance, scientific adviser to the British Government, the new viral variant it would have appeared in mid-September in London or in Kent, to the southeast. This would be responsible for the sharp increase in hospitalizations and deaths in the capital compared to the rest of England.
Carlos Álvarez, infectologist and national coordinator of covid-19 studies for the World Health Organization, begins by clarifying that these mutations are a normal process in the development of viruses and, in fact, hundreds of them have been found without impacting the course of the pandemic.
(See: European agency recommends approving Pfizer vaccine against covid-19)
Álvarez says that this variant found in the United Kingdom is characterized by having several modifications in its structure, among them the “N5017” mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike. In other words, according to the expert, this mutation apparently allows the virus to enter human cells more quickly and for this reason it is more contagious, as indicated by the ECDC.
However, Until now, this variant has not been associated with greater clinical severity and, therefore, it has not been shown to be more lethal. In fact, Chris Whitty, England’s chief physician, said that there is currently no indication that this new variant causes a higher fatality rate, but work is underway urgently to confirm this.
On the other hand, Álvarez points out that so far it has not been shown that this variant has an impact on the effect of vaccines either, and with the information available this seems unlikely.
This Monday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) assured that “there is no evidence” that the covid-19 vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer / BioNTech and endorsed by its experts to be used in the European Union (EU) will not work against the new coronavirus variant detected in the UK.
(You may be interested: When can you get vaccinated? Know the stages and who will have priority)
According to the director of the EMA, Emer Cooke, this mutation has not undergone enough changes to render Pfizer’s vaccine ineffective, although she insisted that vaccination campaigns must be monitored “closely” to determine the extent of the immunity caused by this drug.
In any case, Álvarez warns that attention should be paid to PCR-type diagnostic tests because modifications in the virus could give some false negatives. In the same vein, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that it could also affect “the effectiveness of some diagnostic methods.”
Julian Hiscox, a professor at the University of Liverpool, insisted that coronaviruses mutate all the time, so it is not surprising that there are new variants. The most important thing is to identify if this variant has properties in health, diagnostics and vaccines, something that has not been proven so far.
We must speak of variant, not of strain
Carlos Eduardo Pérez, infectologist at the National University, highlights that in this case we must speak of a variant of the virus and not of new strains. He states that it was expected that the virus would mutate, since this is one more modification that involves a challenge, since it increases transmission and, consequently, increases the number of cases and a greater proportion of patients. “If these are populations at risk, it could increase mortality,” he says.
(Also: a Colombian doctor speaks who received the vaccine in the United States.)
Pérez is emphatic in saying that this variant has a greater capacity to infect new individuals, but not greater virulence (aggressiveness). “However, it should be understood that mortality occurs not only due to the virus but also due to the characteristics of the affected people, that in the case of elderly people or those with comorbidities it could mean an increase in hospitalizations and mortality, “he says.
Faced with this, Pérez confirms that although transmissibility increases, the protection and self-care measures that are known continue to be just as effective.
Dr Emma Hodcroft, a British-American epidemiologist practicing at the University of Bern, Switzerland, says: “We can never stop a virus from mutating, but we can improve our chances by limiting the number of cases.”
Hodcroft insists on the need to respect measures such as the use of a mask, hand washing and distances. “The less the virus circulates, the less chance it has of infecting different people with different immune systems, with different vaccination histories,” he explained. “Thus, we reduce the chances that it ends up somewhere favorable for new mutations” that, perhaps, could be harmful to humans, he added.
(Also read: Colombia returns to its ICU beds due to the pandemic)
Authorities investigate
The Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz, affirms that based on what is known about this variant, it was decided to suspend the air operation to and from the United Kingdom, as well as follow up on all travelers who have arrived from that country to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
Likewise, it reported that The National Institute of Health began the pertinent analyzes to study the genetic structure of the virus and detect whether it is already in Colombian territory. “It is likely that it will end up circulating in the country and although we will be doing all the containment and taking the necessary measures, Colombians must be alert,” concluded the minister.
HEALTH UNIT
