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Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn has called on anyone who has recently traveled from Brazil to phone any GP or any medical service after hours to arrange a free Covid-19 test after three cases of a new P1 variant of Covid-19. they were detected in Ireland for the first time.
Researchers who first discovered the P1 strain in Brazil last month said it contains a unique constellation of mutations that could make it spread more easily, affect antibody response and increase the risk of reinfection.
Dr. Glynn said more studies are needed to determine if the variant is likely to have an impact on the effectiveness of the vaccine.
The unique array of gene mutation includes one that makes your spike protein adhere more easily and more firmly to human cells, and another mutation that can allow you to evade immunity antibodies generated by previous infections.
Its detection in Ireland is of great concern, as the number of daily cases is already stubbornly high and there are questions about the efficacy of existing Covid-19 vaccines against this new strain.
The three cases that have been identified are all directly associated with recent travel from Brazil.
Public health teams are monitoring them and improved public health measures have been implemented.
Dr. Glynn said that anyone who has recently traveled from Brazil is required by law to self-quarantine at home for 14 days.
He said that detecting the variant in Ireland does not change the fact that our best defense against all forms of Covid-19 is to adhere to public health measures that have been shown to be so effective in reducing the incidence of disease in our communities.
He added that we must continue to wash our hands well and frequently, wear a mask, cough and sneeze into the elbows, maintain a social distance of two meters from others and avoid crowds and always remember that it is imperative to call your GP in the same moment. first sign of COVID-19 symptoms.
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The P1 variant first emerged in the Amazon city of Manaus, in northern Brazil, in early December, where a rapid increase in Covid-19 infections took place.
This increase in cases occurred despite previous estimates that up to 76% of the city’s population had already been infected with COVID-19, implying that the city should have already established so-called “herd immunity.”
Researchers who discovered the strain published their findings in January (here: Genomic characterization of an emerging SARS-CoV-2 lineage in Manaus: preliminary findings – SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus / nCoV-2019 Genomic Epidemiology – Virological)
Their report concluded that “the recent emergence of variants with multiple shared peak mutations raises concerns about convergent evolution to a new phenotype, potentially associated with increased transmissibility or propensity for reinfection of individuals.”
This new Brazilian P1 variant shares the peak protein N501Y mutation with the more transmissible UK B117 variant of the disease that now accounts for 90% of all new cases in Ireland despite not being detected here before the finals from December.
N501Y is the mutation that allows the spike protein to bind more firmly to human cells and increases the rate of transmission of the virus.
The Brazilain variant also contains the E484K mutation detected in the B1351 variant from South Africa. This is sometimes called an “escape” mutation because it can help the virus evade the antibodies created by the immune system during previous infections.
There is a fear that this mutation could increase the risk of a person being infected with Covid-19 a second time.
Dr. Glynn stressed last night that more studies are required to determine if this new variant is likely to have an impact on the effectiveness of the vaccine or the severity of the infection.
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