[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: The newly detected UK Covid-19 variant is no more dangerous than the variants already here, experts say.
Viruses are expected to undergo mutations as they react differently under different factors to survive, they also said.
Although there is no data yet to show that the UK variant is here, they warned people not to indulge.
Epidemiologist Datuk Dr. Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said that this particular variant is not exactly “new.”
Currently labeled VUI-202012/01 (Virus Under Investigation in December 2020), the variant was first detected in the UK in September, it noted.
“British researchers started seeing a large proportion of the new variant in the UK when they did genome sequencing.
“The UK variant is possibly an evolutionary mechanism for the virus to infect more by causing a higher viral load,” said Dr. Awang.
(Sequencing the virus genome is a vital and rapidly developing tool in diagnosing Covid-19 and understanding the spread and control of the coronavirus.)
Dr Awang said that the UK variant is different from the D614G which is currently aggressively broadcast in Malaysia.
D614G was first detected in the Sivagangga Cluster in August and was called the super spreader for its infection rate.
“This UK variant has a set of 17 changes or mutations.
“One of the most significant variant mutations in the UK is in the spike protein that the virus uses to bind to human cells.
“Most likely it has already been transported here as it has been around since September, but we have yet to detect this here because we don’t do a lot of genome sequencing,” he said.
Dr. Awang suggests that more genome sequencing be done on large pool samples to track the sequence and see if the variant has mutated.
In recent days, the UK has identified a potentially more contagious new coronavirus variant linked to a recent surge in cases in the country.
As scientists search for more information on the variant, its impact is already being felt.
Several countries have now placed restrictions on UK travelers and British government officials say it is getting out of hand.
Dr Awang said there is not enough data yet to suggest that there are different symptoms in those who contracted Covid-19 through the N501Y variant or if it is more dangerous than those already in Malaysia.
“The treatment for now should be the same. The only difference is that this variant is more easily transmitted, ”he said.
He said vaccines tend not to target one thing and can work to control mutated variants, even if they were developed using a different mutation.
Dr. Benjamin George of Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur said that genome sequencing is like a fingerprint to discover the history and source from where it starts and also to track the progress of the virus as it spreads.
“Viruses are expected to mutate and cold countries are ideal for spreading and developing new variants,” he said.
Furthermore, he pointed out that since a virus is not a living being, it needs a host to survive and tends to mutate to adapt to the host.
The good news, according to Dr. George, is that variants of a virus tend to be less virulent, which means less morbidity and mortality.
He also said that as currently developed Covid-19 vaccines target spike proteins, current vaccines may still contain the UK variant as its mutation is in spike protein.
“There is not much data available yet on Covid-19 variants, depending on research and availability for genetic sequencing, but as in flu epidemics, predicting epidemics and pandemics is a combination of studies, patterns, and smart guesswork.” said Dr. George.
The founder of Healtopedia, a company currently focused on detecting Covid-19, also suggested that Malaysia has more regular testing for now, especially in large groups and mass testing for the public.
“In the future, to contain the epidemic, researchers can predict the possible variants that may start in certain seasons in certain locations and vaccines for those variants are developed in time,” added Dr. George.
[ad_2]
