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Of: TT
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Photo: Pontus Lundahl / TT
Björn Olsen, chief physician and professor of infectious diseases at Uppsala University and University Hospital. Stock Photography.
In the UK, a mutation of the virus has been discovered that spreads 70 percent faster, warns Prime Minister Johnson. Professor Björn Olsen says that the mutation may appear in Sweden, but there are no confirmed cases yet.
The most contagious new variant of the coronavirus, VUI 202012/01, is spreading mainly in the south-east of England.
The mutation is fast becoming the dominant tribe in Britain, says epidemiologist and government adviser Chris Whitty at a press conference with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In London, for example, it accounts for 62 percent of the viruses detected.
It was discovered as early as September and is currently being investigated by researchers from the Porton Down laboratory.
However, Whitty notes that experts don’t see any signs that the virus causes worse disease than other variants, and UK microbiologists say it’s important to remember that viruses typically mutate over time.
No more serious
Björn Olsen, chief physician and professor of infectious diseases at Uppsala University, says that the high spread of the infection in the UK leads to the change of the virus.
– Some of these are more adapted to infect many people. In fact, they don’t have to be more serious, he says.
Every time the virus leaves a cell, it mutates and certain variants take over the market, as does Darwinism, where some are more adapted to survive, says Björn Olsen. The corona virus has already mutated several times since it was discovered in China a year ago, perhaps up to 10,000 times, but not in a drastic way that has changed its function.
– The effects can be violent precisely considering that if many are infected, there are relatively many who get sick and die. The higher the degree of infection, the worse it gets, says Björn Olsen.
Can reach sweden
There is a risk that the mutation will reach Sweden.
– It is clear that it exists, an asymptomatic carrier is enough. It can appear anywhere. But it takes a long time before it spreads to the population, Olsen says.
According to the Swedish Public Health Agency, there are no confirmed cases yet.
“To date, the Swedish Public Health Agency has not identified the variant of the virus called VUI 202012/01, which the UK reportedly increased rapidly in the past month,” said Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of the Department of Microbiology at the Swedish Public Health Agency, in a written comment.
The Swedish Public Health Agency examines ongoing virus tests and only a few have been examined during November and December. Therefore, it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions about what happened in Sweden, according to Tegmark Wisell.
Look carefully
In Sweden, the B.1.177 virus variant will dominate from October, which is the most frequently reported variant in the GISAID database across Europe as of August. It remains to be seen whether B.1.177 remains dominant in Sweden when more samples are taken, according to the Swedish Public Health Agency, which will closely monitor the new mutation.
At present, there is no indication that it is a so-called “escape variant” that is not affected by the vaccine. However, Sweden’s high infection rate means that mutations can occur more easily, says Björn Olsen.
– If now, as the British have done very wisely, it launches vaccines, the smaller the market for this virus will be. The vaccine is coming soon, it will be a “game changer.”
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