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The United Kingdom has decided to quarantine London and the south-east of the country again, following a new coronavirus mutation that seems more contagious than the previous one. Two mutations are crucial, since they affect the Spike protein, thanks to which the virus attaches itself to the ACE-2 receptors of human cells, writes the French newspaper Les Echos, acquired by the Rador agency.
The Netherlands was the first country to react, suspending flights from the UK, followed by Belgium and Italy and then other countries, including Romania. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Twitter that it was in contact with British health authorities. What do we know at this time about this new form of coronavirus?
- 1. A more contagious virus?
Boris Johnson’s claims are based, in particular, on the fact that this new variant of coronavirus has been detected more frequently in areas of the United Kingdom where the number of cases has increased, explains the BBC. However, scientists have not yet been able to prove in the laboratory that the latter is actually more contagious.
“Everything can be explained by a rapid spontaneous transmission of the virus, similar to that observed in France, Germany or Sweden,” says Patrick Berche, member of the Academy of Medicine and former director general of the Pasteur Institute in Lille. “It is possible that this new variant is more contagious, but we do not yet have evidence.”
“This new strain consists of a large number of genetic mutations, some of which may play a role in the contagion or danger of the virus.” Two of the mutations affect the Spike gene, which encodes the protein of the same name by which the virus attaches itself to ACE-2 receptors on human cells, which can increase the virus’s ability to adhere to and enter cells.
- 2. What are the characteristics of this variant?
The first major mutation was named by the researchers N 501. It mainly affects the receptor, the part of the Spike protein that binds to receptors on human cells. Therefore, it is plausible that this mutation makes the virus more contagious.
Another mutation had already appeared in the variant of the virus observed in mink farms in Denmark, transmitted to ten people. The Danish government ordered the slaughter of the country’s 17 million miners, after which it reversed the decision. The Danish government feared that this mutation would make the vaccines ineffective. In reality, their goal is to generate antibodies that bind to the Spike proteins of the virus.
- 3. What is the impact on the vaccination campaign?
This is the question British scientists are asking at the moment. “We know that this variant exists, but we don’t know what it means biologically,” Alan McNally, a professor at the University of Birmingham, told the BBC. It is too early to draw conclusions about the importance of this mutation. “
The two mutations “do not affect a priori the immunogenicity of the virus,” that is, its ability to elicit an immune response from the body, explains Patrick Berche. Which would be good news for current vaccination campaigns.
Several countries have already started large-scale vaccination campaigns, led by the UK. British health authorities announced last Wednesday that almost 140,000 people have already received the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. London has ordered 357 million doses from seven different laboratories.
