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According to her, this week 621 cases of the British variant or the so-called Alpha were detected, as well as 21 cases of the virus line (B.1.620) detected in Anykščiai and one case of the Brazilian variant or Gama.
Epidemiologist Gytis Dudas says that the Delta variant has significantly increased transmission efficiency (approximately 60% more compared to the Alpha variant) and a sharp decrease (approximately 6.8 times) in the effectiveness of neutralizing antibodies after vaccination or other strain.
According to him, although this variant has a higher risk of being infected with the vaccine or another strain, studies show that vaccination with a single dose of the vaccine (Pfizer or AstraZeneca) protects the symptoms of the Delta strain with 33.5% , and vaccination with both doses 80.9%. The number of people vaccinated with both doses of the vaccine is also 92-96%. to protect against treatment of this strain in hospitals.
Among other things, G. Dudas says that the latest case of the Gama variant is the fourth introduction of this variety in Lithuania.
“So far, the gamma variant has been managed quite successfully in Lithuania and there is no data that it is continuously circulating. I will remind you that the first case of the Gamma variant discovered in Lithuania was discovered by a traveler. To date, there is no evidence that a person has transmitted the infection to another person. The other two imports of the Gama variant were carried out in Bezdonys and Pasvalys, in both cases the sequencing confirmed two cases in both settlements “, he said.
According to the epidemiologist, this week’s sequencing data also identified four potentially epidemiologically related cases of the Alpha variant in which sequencing also identified a mutation of the E484K protein S.
“This mutation is associated with reduced antibody efficacy in non-mutated or vaccinated strains and is one of the key mutations in other strains of interest and observation, Beta (B.1.351) and Gamma (P.1) variants,” he said.
According to the epidemiologist, the United Kingdom observed a limited circulation of the Alpha variant, which acquired the E484K mutation, at the end of February. In the US state of Oregon, a chain of infection of the Alpha variant that acquired the E484K mutation was also observed in early March.
“The same happened in Lithuania: one of the many Alpha variant lines circulating in Lithuania acquired the E484K mutation and caused at least four sequentially detected and most likely related cases. A similar case was observed in Lithuania in mid-May, when a case of an alpha variant was found with the E484K mutation acquired independently of all the other cases, but no further spread of this line was detected ”, explained G. Dudas.
According to him, in Lithuania, Alpha variants that have not acquired an additional mutation cause more than 90%. all coronavirus infections, which is why vaccines against this strain are almost as effective.
“However, we know from other studies that it is the E484K mutation that can significantly reduce the antibody response during natural infection or after vaccination, so the response to these cases of B.1.1.7 + E484K will be more intense, “says Dud.
550 samples were analyzed in the laboratory of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, of which 536 cases belong to the Alpha variant, as well as in this laboratory six new cases of the viral line detected in Anykščiai were identified. In the Santara Clinics laboratory of the Vilnius University Hospital, 60 samples were examined, of which 52 cases belong to the Alpha variant, as well as in this laboratory two new B.1.620 cases were identified.
48 samples were examined in the laboratory of the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center, of which 33 cases also belong to the Alpha variant, as well as 13 new cases of the virus line detected in Anykščiai, a Gama variant and Delta each.
The latest strain of the virus was detected in Lithuania for the first time.
In total, so far in Lithuania, according to the sequencing project coordinated by the NSPL, 12 thousand. A sequence of 220 samples, 8,268 cases of the British strain, 13 cases from South Africa (Beta), 211 cases of Anyamma, six cases of Gamma and one case of Delta virus were detected in Anykščiai.
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