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The new study confirms the British government’s fears that this variant of the coronavirus could be contagious.
The new study confirms the British government’s fears about the possibility of this type of infection. Coronavirus
A new version of the coronavirus detected in the UK, which is said to be much more contagious than its history, called B.1.1.7, confirms a new study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine published on Thursday (24) .
“Based on available preliminary data,” the study concludes that the Saras-Cove-2 variant, which in recent weeks is suspected to be the cause of a rapid increase in cases in south-east England, “may represent up to 50% “of circulation. “So far 74% more permeable than forms of the virus,” sums up one by Nick Davis, a biologist at the London School.
This estimate, which has not yet been published in a scientific journal or reviewed by independent experts, is consistent with “50% to 70%”, a group of researchers advising the UK government on the virus presented at a press conference. by. Emerging Respiratory Diseases, NERVTAG.
Twenty-two mutations in the genome
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, had already mentioned more than 70% of contagion last weekend, and the British authorities had estimated a transmission to the World Health Organization (WHO) that had increased by 40% in London. According to preliminary data obtained by sequencing the genome of viruses collected in and in the southeast of the country, 70%.
First discovered in Britain in September, the variant, also known as VOC 202012/01, has 22 mutations in its genome. In particular, the so-called N501Y is found in the spike protein of the coronovirus, a critical point on its surface that allows it to adhere to enter human cells, thus playing an important role in viral infection.
A quarter of new infections found in the UK in November were associated with this variant, a number that surpassed 60% in early December. “If the current trend continues, the new version may represent 90% of cases by mid-January,” according to Nick Davis.
LSHTM researchers do not yet have evidence that people who contract the new variant are at increased risk of hospitalization or death, the hypothesis has yet to be studied.
The potential “rapid increase” in the number of cases caused by this mutation could have significant consequences for the epidemic, experts believe.
“The recent increase in the number of infections in various regions” may continue and spread throughout the UK if immediate action is not taken, “they warn.
This week, several scientists called on the British government to order the closure to prevent the epidemic from spreading.
(With information from AFP)
