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SINGAPORE: Two new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have raised alarm around the world as they are said to be more contagious, making it even more difficult to stop the spread of the disease.
While the SARS-CoV-2 variants are expected to reproduce and adapt to their human hosts, these particular strains are “cause for concern,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
One, known as B117, was reported by the UK in December, while another called 501Y.V2 has spread widely in South Africa.
Detection of the variants has led to tighter travel restrictions around the world for visitors from the UK and South Africa, as well as new closures in Europe.
In Singapore, citizens and permanent residents returning from the UK and South Africa will be required to serve an additional seven days of self-isolation in addition to a 14-day stay-at-home notice.
READ: All Travelers Including Singaporeans Must Take COVID-19 Test Upon Arrival In Singapore
Here’s what we know about the SARS-CoV-2 variants so far and the implications for Singapore:
WHAT ARE THE TWO VIRUSES OF VIRUSES?
The UK reported B117 or VOC 202012/01 to the WHO on December 14, but it had been spreading for months before and was traced to Kent in September.
The variant found in South Africa is called B.1.351 or 501.V2, after an N501Y mutation in the spike protein of the virus. It was first reported to the WHO on December 18 after being detected in October, and has since largely replaced other strains of the COVID-19 virus in South Africa.
The variants may not necessarily have originated in the UK and South Africa, although they were first detected there. Both are potentially more communicable but do not appear to cause more serious disease.
WHERE HAVE THEY GIVEN?
B117 was responsible for more than 50 percent of the cases in south-east England from October to December and has been detected in more than 50 countries, including Singapore and Malaysia.
Dr Nikki Kanani, England’s NHS Chief Medical Officer for Primary Care, has said that up to one in 30 people could carry this new variant of COVID-19. The UK has seen the number of cases hit record highs even when vaccination started.
READ: Fast-spreading UK variant of COVID-19 could be dominant in US In March: CDC
The South African strain of the virus was first discovered in Nelson Mandela Bay on the east coast, and then spread rapidly to the south and southeast of the country.
Up to 90 percent of new cases in the country are carriers of the mutant variant, according to health authorities, causing an increase in infections that threatens to overwhelm the South African health system.
It has been found in more than 22 territories, including Malaysia, according to cov-lineages.org.
WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN SINGAPORE?
Several people have preliminarily tested positive for the B117 strain in Singapore.
The first case recorded in Singapore, on December 24, was that of a 17-year-old Singaporean woman who had returned from Great Britain. On December 30, a Singapore Airlines pilot and work pass holder arriving from the UK also preliminarily tested positive for the B117 strain, the Health Ministry said at the time.
On January 6, the Health Ministry reported that a 24-year-old South Korean man working at Azur at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport also tested positive for the UK strain. His job was to deliver packaged meals to the aircrew and hotel guests.
Later, a colleague of hers in Singapore, a 20-year-old man, also tested preliminary positive for the B117 strain of the virus. The hotel will be closed until January 21 as a precaution. COVID-19 tests for 234 employees who worked there came back negative.
The CNA has contacted the Ministry of Health to obtain more information on the local situation.
READ: 30 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including 2 in the community, forming a new group linked to the para-vet
WHAT MAKES THEM MORE TRANSMISSIBLE?
The UK and South African variants are similar in that they share a common N501Y mutation in the spike protein, which the virus uses to infect cells.
The mutation means they can bind better to human cells, making it easier for them to infect us. Studies have shown that the UK variant could be 40 to 70 percent more transmissible.
A 3D print of a spike protein from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, versus a 3D print of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle AFP / Brochure
Experts have warned that this means that the proportion of the population that must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity will be higher.
The South African variant also has two mutations that are absent in the UK variant, says Dr. Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester. One of them, the E484K mutation, has caused concern as it can hinder the action of antibodies against the virus.
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SINGAPORE?
If these variants begin to circulate freely in Singapore, there will be a risk of an accelerated spread of COVID-19 in the community, said Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
“That is why it is even more important now than ever to make sure we stay up to date with our personal safety management measures, such as proper mask use and social distancing,” he said.
Since Singapore has allowed the resumption of more social activities and larger gatherings, should the variants spread in the country, it is possible that there is a much more rapid and widespread infection throughout the community, before the protocols of tracing, isolation and contact testing can take effect. .
“However, if people continue to maintain their measures, the risk of an uncontrolled outbreak in Singapore remains small,” added Professor Teo.
Professor Dale Fisher from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore said points of entry to Singapore, such as ports and airports, are more vulnerable, so these sites must be “more vigilant.”
Singapore has already imposed more border restrictions, so travelers from the UK and South Africa have to self-isolate for seven days in addition to a 14-day stay-at-home notice in a hotel.
All travelers will also need to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival. This will help detect cases earlier and “remove some risks” from quarantined hotels, Professor Fisher said.
“These people would be cared for in a hospital or a community care center and would reduce the risk of spread in quarantine hotels,” he added.
DO VACCINES WORK AGAINST THEM?
Professor Teo said there is secondary concern that these newer variants, or later emerging ones, may be resistant to existing vaccines. This is currently an active research area.
Pfizer and BioNTech have said that a laboratory study shows that their COVID-19 vaccine works against the key mutation in new variants of the coronavirus. The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna is also expected to be effective against the B117 variant.
There is a possibility that changes in the South African variant could affect the effectiveness of vaccines to some extent, but it is too early to know for sure, the scientists said. They ensure that vaccines can be modified, if necessary, in just six weeks.
READ: BioNTech says COVID-19 vaccine ‘neutralizes key mutation’ in UK and South Africa strains
“It is very possible that in the future there will be mutated strains that are resistant to current vaccines. If that’s really the case, then the vaccines will need to be continually and regularly modified, just like what we do with flu vaccines, “said Professor Teo.
However, if the virus becomes more contagious, more people will need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health Vice Dean for Research Associate Professor Alex Cook said that if the new variant is 50% more contagious, then Singapore should probably aim for vaccination coverage as close to 100%. possible, within the restriction that some people cannot receive the vaccines.
Professor Fisher added: “These threats (COVID-19) are constant and it is another reason to vaccinate when you have the opportunity.”
MORE POSSIBLE VARIANTS
Could new and more dangerous variants emerge? WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that the more the COVID-19 virus spreads, the greater the chances of it evolving.
“Most notably, the transmissibility of some variant of the virus appears to be increasing. This may lead to an increase in cases and hospitalizations,” he said.
“But we need to follow basic public health principles now more than ever … You may get bored of hearing it, but the virus is not fed up with us. Limiting transmission limits the possibility of new dangerous variants developing.”
Brazil is now also grappling with a potentially more contagious new coronavirus variant called P1 that originated in the Amazon and led Britain on Thursday to ban Brazilian travelers from entering. This has also been detected in Japan in travelers from Brazil.
If there is indeed an emergence of variants that are resistant to current vaccines, then there is a real risk that the global pandemic will not be contained as successfully by the cocktail of vaccines and safe community management measures, said Professor Teo.
“If that is the case, Singapore will continue to have to maintain strict surveillance at our borders,” he said.
READ: Global death toll nears 2 million as WHO fights new virus strains
READ: UK imposes travel restrictions amid concerns over new COVID-19 variant
While Singapore has already imposed a longer period of self-isolation for travelers arriving from the UK and South Africa, these border control measures may need to be further reviewed according to the geographic distribution of these new variants and any strains emerging subsequently, added.
Associate Professor of Infection and Immunity Luo Dahai from Nanyang Technological University Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine said that the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of slowing down.
“The virus mutates and evolves. The production and distribution of vaccines are not sufficient and fast enough. There is also strong resistance to control measures and vaccination efforts in some countries. Singapore is not and cannot go in isolation, so we must remain vigilant, ”he said.
More than 2,024,656 people have died from the virus worldwide, with nearly 95 million cases recorded, according to an AFP tally based on official sources as of Sunday.
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