Is the vaccine effective against the mutated coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus mutation



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Mutation of the new type of corona virus sounds terrible, but mutation and change is a natural thing that viruses do. Viruses are often changed and made worse by infecting us.

CAN YOU INACTIVATE THE VACCINE?

There is no clear evidence that the new variation of the corona virus detected in south-east England could be more easily transmitted, cause more severe symptoms or render the vaccine unusable.

Scientists focus on two reasons.

According to the news on NTV, the first is that where the cases are higher, the levels of change are higher. This is a warning sign, although it can be interpreted in two ways. The virus can mutate more easily and cause more infections.

MORE EXPANDER?

However, the modified virus can also increase your chances by infecting the right people at the right time. One explanation for the spread of the “Spanish type” during the summer was that people took it on vacation and took it home.

Laboratory studies have shown this breed to be much more invasive than others.

Another problem is how the virus mutation occurs.

British Prof. Dr. “More than we expected, the virus has a surprisingly large number of mutations and some of them look interesting,” said Nick Loman.

There are two types of mutations that attract attention. Both are found in the key spike protein that the virus uses to open the door for our body’s cells to control them.

A new variant of the corona virus spreading through the UK was announced to have a “surprising” number of mutations. Members of the British Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK), which is investigating the “VUI – 202012/01” mutation, said they discovered ’17 changes’ in the genetic makeup of the virus.

VACCINES ARE TARGETED AT THE PROTEIN VIRUS

The researchers explained that most of the changes occurred in the spike protein that the virus uses to attach itself to human cells.

Changes in the Virgo protein are very important, because most corona virus vaccines, including the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, which has been used in the country, work by targeting this protein.

At the same time, it is feared that these changes will prevent people who were previously infected with a different strain of the corona virus from gaining immunity. (Groups of different subspecies of a bacterium or virus with genetic differences between them are called “strains.”

STILL NO EVIDENCE THAT IT AFFECTS VACCINES

However, scientists, including Britain’s chief medical adviser Chris Whitty, said so far that “there is still no evidence” that the mutation seen in Wales, Scotland, Denmark and Australia has any effect on vaccines.

Professor Nick Loman, from the Institute of Microbiology and Infections at the University of Birmingham and a member of COG-UK, acknowledges that the changes that have taken place are excessive, “The change that has occurred is truly dramatic.

Most Covid vaccines work by training the immune system to recognize the spike proteins of the virus and attack them when it tries to infect in the future. However, if the shape of the tip proteins changes through mutations, this may have a slight effect on vaccines. “

DETECTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEPTEMBER

The new species, called “VUI – 202012/01”, was first detected in Kent, England, in September. More than a thousand confirmed cases of the new species were reported, mainly in southern England.

DISPERSING FASTER THAN THE PROMINENT SPECIES IN EUROPE

On the other hand, COG-UK said that the new variant is spreading faster than the dominant strain b20A.EU1, which was spread by tourists from Spain during the summer months. The researchers suspect that the mutations could mean the disease is more contagious, noting that the faster the virus spreads, it doesn’t make it deadlier. According to scientists, some viruses become less lethal in order to survive longer.

HOW THEY WILL RESPECT ANTIBODIES IS THE BIGGEST CONCERN

According to the scientists, one of the biggest concerns about these mutations is the possibility that antibodies that are developed against earlier variants of the virus will not affect the mutated version.

Antibodies are called protein structures that are produced by the immune system when disease is encountered earlier and that prevent disease when the body compares it to the corona virus again. People who have already contracted the disease or received a vaccine can get rid of the virus when they contract it again so that they can get rid of it before they get sick.

However, according to experts, antibodies may not work because they are extremely specific structures and extremely sensitive to changes in the virus. For example, because the virus that causes the flu mutates so often, people cannot be immune to the flu and continue to get the disease constantly.

Therefore, the experts stated that in the worst case, a vaccine against the virus may not work, or there is a possibility that people will contract the virus a second time, but when current data is examined, this is not the case.

THE VIRUS HAS CHANGED THOUSANDS OF TIMES THIS YEAR

On the other hand, some scientists reacted yesterday to British Health Minister Matt Hancock’s statement about the new mutation, emphasizing that the corona virus has changed thousands of times since its discovery, and none of the mutations changed it significantly.



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