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On Saturday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared that the new strain of the virus is driving the spread of the corona in the country. During the week, the curve has increased and the researchers believe that the mutation may increase the R number by four tenths.
– It can be up to 70 percent more contagious than the previous variant, Boris Johnson said at a news conference.
The new form of virus is called “VUI – 202012/01”. Below that are also smaller mutations that fall into the group because they similarly change the structure of the main protein of the virus, the so-called nail protein.
One of the variants, called N501Y, has been found in Denmark. At least nine people have fallen ill there.
May be extended to Sweden
Virus researcher Ali Mirazimi, professor of clinical virology at the Karolinska Institutet, believes that it is common for certain viruses, such as coronavius, to mutate. Last spring, a mutation emerged that took hold of the expansion in Europe.
– If this is very contagious, it will take over, but it also depends on how much you travel between England and the rest of Europe and within Europe. But, in general, if something is very contagious, it will most likely start to spread. It is difficult to stop such a spread until the vaccine begins, says Ali Mirazimi.
The researcher says that the mutation can be found in Sweden. However, to detect it, you need to look at the virus genome, which is not visible using PCR tests or antibody tests.
State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell has said that no case of the N501Y mutation has yet been found.
– They have not found any case in Sweden yet, if I remember correctly, possibly only one case in such a case, he told Expressen on Thursday.
In addition, Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of department at the Swedish Public Health Agency, says that no cases of the new form of the virus have been confirmed.
– We have not seen the new infection in Sweden, he says in a comment to Swedish Radio.
It is possible that the new mutated virus strain already exists in Sweden.
Photo: HENRIK ISAKSSON / IBL
“Important to watch”
British researchers have found no evidence that the new strain of the virus leads to more serious infections. It is also not believed to be more resistant to vaccines.
According to Ali Mirazimi, it is also important to keep track of how mutations develop and how they affect immunity.
– In general, it is important to keep track of all the mutations that occur in the so-called nail protein because we make vaccines against the nail protein, he says and continues:
– But if it’s individual mutations, we don’t think it matters for the vaccine. The vaccines are made against the whole protein and some small changes do not seem to affect the effect.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Sars-Cov-2 is believed to have mutated more than 10,000 times, without major significance.
