Scientists findings on COVID-19: spike in January-February, worrying new strain

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Vaccinations

Only vaccines with high standards of safety and efficacy are registered in Europe and there are no exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines. Quarantine measures should be continued after vaccination. Proper vaccination of both doses of the vaccine will result in vaccinator protection approximately one month after the first dose.

For vaccination to affect not only personal safety but also public safety, it is necessary to vaccinate 60-70% of the population. Even under optimal conditions, the vaccination campaign takes several months.

At least 10 different vaccine platforms, both known from previous vaccines and completely new, are being investigated, including the mRNA (information RNA) vaccine platform. The latter group includes vaccines developed by Pfizer in collaboration with BioNTech and Moderna.

The essence of these vaccines is an implanted synthetic information RNA (mRNA) molecule that signals the cell to produce the peak protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The coronavirus protein produced in the vaccine is responded to by the immune system. This triggers immune defense mechanisms that target the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. By blocking the structures of the needles, the SARS-CoV-2 virus cannot adhere to the host cell and initiate disease processes. The grafted mRNA molecule degrades rapidly without causing any other effects.

It is important to emphasize that in the development and testing of the SARS-CoV-2 candidate vaccines, the biological process timelines were strictly in line with current standards. More than a million people have been vaccinated in the United States and around half a million in the United Kingdom. As in clinical trials, no unusual post-vaccination adverse events were observed under practical vaccination conditions.
Currently available data confirm that the protection provided by existing vaccines lasts for at least six months, but is likely to last much longer. The duration of protection will be adjusted by monitoring participants in early clinical trials and evaluating the effectiveness of vaccination programs.

Seasonality

American researchers have determined the seasonality of coronavirus infection. The highest peak was recorded in January and February, and the steepest minimum was in the summer months.

Although other coronaviruses (other than SARS-CoV-2) have been studied, this work is very important because a longer monitoring of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 shows its similarity with the activity of other coronaviruses.

If this pattern continues and the measures in place to control the spread of the virus are not effective enough, we may face even greater activity from SARS-CoV-2 in January and February.

Mutations

Genetic analysis shows that the SARS-CoV-2 virus changes due to point mutations in its genome. Researchers have already identified more than 12,000 such mutations in the genomes of different lines of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. One of the first and best described is the so-called D614G mutation, which occurs in the viral gene that encodes protein S.

This occurred at the beginning of the pandemic in China (late January 2020) and led to the formation of two main lines of SARS-CoV-2, D and G. It should be noted that this mutation resulted in the ability of viruses to the G line to spread ~ 20% faster in the human population compared to the D line viruses. It is the G line viruses that have spread and dominate in Europe and the United States.

Vaccines currently being developed are effective against both SARS-CoV-2 virus lines. All others until 2020 September. The mutations recorded in the genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 viruses have not resulted in significant structural and functional changes in the SARS-CoV-2 viruses and therefore do not affect the efficacy of the vaccines.

The new version of SARS-CoV-2 (VUI 202012/01), which September. was first identified in the UK and assigned to line B.1.1.7. It has multiple mutations in the S gene that result in certain functional changes in the S protein. Therefore, the new variant of the virus has a significantly greater ability to bind to human ACE2 receptors and infect cells more efficiently. It spreads 70 percent. more efficiently. Fortunately, it has not been established that people infected with the new strain of the virus have a more severe clinical form of the COVID-19 disease. Despite the mutations that have occurred, the efficacy of vaccines should not be significantly reduced due to their ability to stimulate immunity.

Clinical signs of COVID-19

COVID-19 disease can occur in asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe, and critically severe forms of the disease.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever (> 38 ° C in 31-43% of cases), cough (46-82% of cases), and dyspnea (up to 31% of cases).

Other symptoms (syndromes) associated with COVID-19 include muscle pain, general weakness, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhea in some patients, loss of smell or taste and the development of pneumonia, arrhythmias, acute kidney failure as it progresses COVID-19. rape, acute respiratory distress syndrome (hereinafter ARD), sepsis, septic shock. Risk factors for severe COVID-19 include advanced age (> 65 years), chronic diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular, respiratory, etc.).

Answers to questions about the diagnosis, treatment and isolation of COVID-19 infection can be found in the virtual application. This app was developed in response to the need for clear and practical guidelines for clinicians working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The application is constantly updated, the developers invite you to submit proposals for informative content (http://app.covidmed.lt/).