There is growing alarm around the world after scientists in the UK described a recently identified variant of the coronavirus
which appears to be more contagious than, and genetically distinct, more established variants.
The new variant will be called VUI-202012/01, the UK’s first “Variant Under Investigation” in December 2020. Even as scientists seek more information about the variant, its impact is already being felt: the mutation has been linked to a recent surge in cases in the UK, and several countries have imposed restrictions on UK travelers.
According to reports, the new Sars-Cov-2 variant could be up to 70% more transmissible than the previous variant. But there are still several unanswered questions that multiply as fast as a new strain of the virus: Does it make people sicker, or does it mean that treatments and vaccines won’t work?
Let’s take a look at what we know so far about the new COVID-19 Pressure:
What is a variant of the virus and why is there concern about the UK strain?
Mutations are changes that are common when a virus replicates within a host. This is because the replication is not perfect. Imperfect copies of the virus become extinct, but very often, a mutation could end up giving it properties that make it stronger or more infectious.
The new strain found in the UK is just one variation among many that have emerged as coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has spread throughout the world. But a new strain can become dominant if a strain is a “founder” strain, the first to take hold and begin to spread in an area, or because “super spread” events helped it become established.
It can also happen if a mutation gives a new variant an advantage, such as helping it spread more easily than other strains that are circulating, as appears to be the case in Britain.
When was the new strain found? What is worrisome about it?
According to the World Health Organization, the new variant of COVID-19 originated in the southeast of England. The variant came to the attention of researchers in December, when it began to appear more frequently in samples from parts of southern England. It turned out to have been collected from patients as early as September.
Researchers who studied the genome of this new variant found that there were a relatively large number of mutations (23) that it had acquired. While most mutations are detrimental to the virus or have no effect, several of the mutations in this new variant seemed to potentially affect how coronavirus spread.
The new variant has eight mutations in the spike protein that the virus uses to bind and infect cells. The spike is the target of vaccines and antibodies. Dr Ravi Gupta, a virus expert at the University of Cambridge in England, said that modeling studies suggest that it may be up to twice as infectious as the strain that has been most common in England so far.
Is the new coronavirus most contagious strain?
Yes it looks like yes. Preliminary data from the UK shows that the virus is spreading rapidly in parts of southern England, displacing other variants that have been circulating for months. Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said the variant was responsible for 60 percent of new infections in London, which have nearly doubled in the last week alone.
The UK government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group said it had “moderate confidence” that this new variant “demonstrates a substantial increase in transmissibility compared to other variants”.
Neil Ferguson, a public health researcher at Imperial College London, estimates that the variant has an increased transmission rate of 50 to 70 percent compared to other variants in the UK. But more research is still required. The increase in transmission is believed to be due, at least in part, to the fact that it can make children “as susceptible as adults,” said Wendy Barclay, a virologist at Imperial College London.
Does it make people sicker or more likely to die?
There is no indication that either is true, but clearly those are two issues that need further consideration, Dr. Philip Landrigan, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist who leads an Associated Press, told the Associated Press. global health program at Boston College, USA. A WHO outbreak expert, Maria Van Kerkhove, said on Monday that “the information we have so far is that there is no change” in the type of disease or its severity due to the new strain.
However, there are reasons to take the possibility of the new strain making people sick more seriously. In South Africa, another lineage of the coronavirus has gained a particular mutation that is also found in the UK strain. This variant is spreading rapidly through the coastal areas of South Africa. And in preliminary studies, doctors found that people infected with this variant have a high viral load, a higher concentration of the virus in the upper respiratory tract. In many viral diseases, this is associated with more serious symptoms.
Has the new strain been found in India? What measures are being taken to control its spread?
The new strain has not been found so far in India, at least as far as is known. However, the variant has already spread globally. In addition to the United Kingdom, the variant has been detected in Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia, according to the WHO. A similar but separate variant has also been identified in South Africa. Now that the world knows how to look for the variant, it may appear in more countries.
The Indian government said on Monday it would suspend flights from the UK until the end of the year for fear of the new strain.
Separately, several states are also taking action. Maharashtra said it would impose an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in major cities until January 5 and would also require 14 days of institutional quarantine for all travelers arriving from Europe and the Middle East.
The governments of West Bengal and Telangana are preparing lists of passengers who arrived from the UK in recent weeks, while Karnataka has turned it negative. COVID-19 Mandatory test for those who traveled from England and Denmark.
Will be the new coronavirus strain make new vaccines ineffective?
The presumption is that current vaccines would still be effective against the variant, but scientists are working to confirm this. Vaccines induce broad immune system responses in addition to prompting the immune system to produce antibodies against the virus, so they are expected to continue to work, several scientists said.
Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which have so far been approved in the US, create immunity to coronavirus teaching our immune system to make antibodies against a protein found on the surface of the virus, called a spike. The spike protein attaches itself to cells and opens a passageway. Antibodies produced in response to the vaccines adhere to the tip of the spike and prevent viruses from entering.
While it is conceivable that the mutation could change the shape of the coronavirus protein spikes, making it difficult for antibodies to control them, experts at this time do not believe the variant could evade vaccines.
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