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The new virus may already be in Norway. The fact that it has not been discovered so far may be because the National Institute of Public Health tests relatively few viruses. The coronavirus changes regularly, and by looking at the genetic material, it is possible to establish that a virus is of a new type.
– It is very possible that the virus has reached this point. What is more uncertain is whether it has caused further infection. What we do know is that we haven’t recorded it, says lead researcher at the National Institute of Public Health Olav Hungnes.
– That it was discovered in Denmark, it may be the result that they studied the genetic material of many more viruses than we do, but if there had been a lot of this virus in Norway now, we probably would have known, says Hungnes.
Principal Investigator Olav Hungnes is responsible for the reference laboratory at the National Institute of Public Health. This is where they test genetic material for new coronaviruses.
Photo: FHI
Can be the dominant
Outside of the UK, some cases of the virus have been detected in Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
– But most EU / EEA countries test a much lower proportion of detected viruses than the UK, so ongoing infection with this virus in other countries is not something that can be ruled out, writes the European Agency for ECDC Infection Control.
The agency believes there is a danger of the virus spreading further and believes measures are needed to prevent it. In particular, the agency aims to travel.
– This virus can replace the current viruses that are in circulation in much of Europe, writes ECDC.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Sunday that the new virus is taking over the spread of the infection in Britain. European infection control authorities believe this can happen across Europe as well.
Photo: Toby Melville / Reuters
Very different virus
The new virus is very different from the viruses seen so far. Typically, researchers can point out that a virus is a direct descendant of another virus. They can describe the virus family in many ways in many generations backwards.
That is not the case now.
– A virus that has undergone so many changes before being discovered is so far unique in this pandemic, writes a group of researchers for virological.org.
How different is the new virus. This image highlights the proximity to other known viruses. The dots at the bottom of the image are previously known viruses. Top right is the new virus.
Photo: Virological.org
It happened due to a weakened immune system
The origin of the virus is now the subject of scientific discussion. It may have occurred through a hidden epidemic in animals, but is not considered likely. It may also have occurred in a country where few or no viruses are tested, but this is also considered unlikely.
What ECDC believes is a likely explanation for why such a different virus has emerged is that it was created in a single human being.
– It may have occurred in a person who has a weakened immune system. So the infection can last a long time and lead to many mutations, writes the ECDC.
Something to worry about
A new virus mutation may seem scary, but changing and mutating is what viruses do. In the vast majority of cases, there is a small change that makes the virus less capable of infecting us, before the new variant becomes extinct.
Sometimes the virus changes to a more intense variant, which manages to infect more people. This is what now worries researchers, has happened and they need to know more.
The authorities are considering new austerity measures due to the new mutation. Several other countries have closed the border to travelers from the UK.
The one who cares the most. This is one of the changes in the virus marked in red. It is at position N501. This is where the virus comes into contact with the attachment point (green) of a human cell.
Photo: GISAID
Is it easier to infect?
The new variant of the coronavirus appeared in the United Kingdom at the end of September. It has many mutations that change the shape of the virus. Among other things, a variant that changes parts of the virus’s external labels, according to Nick Loman of the University of Birmingham.
The new mutation of the virus in the UK appears to be more contagious, but is yet to be proven. It can also be a new variant of the virus, which has managed to infect the right people, at the right time, for a short period of time.
It still looks like this
What suggests that the virus has properties that make it more contagious is the size of the epidemic that is now ravaging the UK.
– When there are low rates of infection in a population, some viruses can quickly become dominant or almost disappear. This is because coincidences can play a huge role. Now, the spread of the infection in the UK is happening on such a large scale that it is less likely to be a coincidence, says lead researcher Hungnes.
How worried should we be?
Although the virus has changed many times, researchers are now concerned about how quickly the new variant has spread in south-east England. But to find more answers to this, the virus still needs to be monitored. Laboratory studies are needed to see if the new variant of the virus is actually more contagious.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday that the new variant could be up to 70 percent more contagious than usual.
There is currently no evidence that this virus causes more serious illness than other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Will the vaccine still work?
If the new variant appears in Norway, it is not certain that this will necessarily affect vaccination. NIPH notes that vaccines can be changed to accommodate new mutations.
FHI does not recommend that Norway close the border for travelers from the UK, but recommends a lab test for those coming from the UK.
Sources: ECDC, GISAID, BBC, New Scientist and FHI.
