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England has increased the new restrictions on the mutated coronavirus by detecting pre-Christmas celebrations, many countries, including Turkey, were banned from traveling to England.
Authorities say the new curfews affecting millions of people in the UK may be in place until the vaccine is introduced across the country.
The new type of virus that changed was first detected in September. Almost a quarter of the cases detected in London in November are related to the new type of virus. This rate increased to two-thirds of the cases in mid-December. Authorities warned that the new breed was spreading much faster.
What did the authorities say?
UK government chief health adviser Prof. Dr Chris Whitty said in a written statement that “the new species could spread faster”.
“We have informed the World Health Organization and continue to examine existing data that will help us better understand the situation. There is currently no evidence that this new strain is more deadly or may affect existing vaccines and treatments. But this opinion is clear. It is necessary to carry out an urgent work on the subject so that it is confirmed properly “, said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday that the new strain could be up to 70 percent more contagious than the old one.
Johnson said that, according to preliminary data, this new strain detected could be up to 70 percent more contagious than the previous one.
Johnson said there was no evidence that this new strain caused more serious disease or had a higher death rate.
Why does the altered virus cause anxiety?
There are three factors of concern regarding the new mutated strain of coronavirus:
- Quick replacement of other types of viruses
- There are mutations that affect important regions of the virus.
- Some of these mutations have been shown in laboratory studies to increase the virus’s ability to affect cells.
All this together, paves the way for the virus to spread faster than the previous version.
Speaking to the BBC, a professor at the UK Genomics Consortium. “Laboratory experiments are required. But must we wait weeks, months for results (to avoid the rate of spread)? Under these conditions, probably not,” said Nick Loman.
Has the virus changed before?
Yes. According to BBC health and science reporter James Gallagher, the virus that was originally seen in Wuhan, China, is not the same virus now seen around the world.
The mutated version of the coronavirus, D614G, was first seen in Europe in February. This type of mutation is now seen predominantly in global coronavirus cases.
Another mutated species is A222V. It is a mutation that is said to be linked to those who vacation in Spain and spread to Europe.
A member of the UK government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group (Nervtag), Dr Müge Çevik said that more than 4,000 Sars-Cov-2 virus mutations have been detected so far. According to The Guardian newspaper, Çevik stated that “only a few are major mutations.”
Whitty, the government’s top adviser, warned that the new coronavirus mutation could increase the R transmission coefficient by 0.4.
The Nervtag advisory group said in a statement issued Sunday that there is “ an increase in the spread of the modified virus compared to other changeable species, ” but the scientists said the data are only preliminary findings and are based on models.
According to the Guardian newspaper report, Dr Çevik said that the findings depend on the quality and quantity of the transferred data, saying: “For now, we cannot establish a connection by chance, it is just the effect of the combination.”
‘Must be closely followed’
Virologist Professor at King’s College, London. Stuart Neil also stated that the data collected so far is consistent with the finding that the virus in flux is more contagious. “But there is no confirmation of this based on laboratory investigations. Or there is no confirmation why it is spreading rapidly,” Neil told The Guardian.
Neil said the evolving virus was detected in 10% to 15% of cases seen in some areas a few weeks ago, but last week this rate rose to 60% in London cases.
Neil says that one of the most worrying issues for scientists is changes in the region known as the ‘spike protein’, where the virus interacts with angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), allowing it to leak into cells. of the lungs, throat and nasal cavity. Neil says that the mutation in the ‘spike protein’ increases the virus’s interaction with ACE2, thus providing an advantage for its growth.
On the other hand, since this protein is the target site for vaccines to develop antibodies, Neil also expresses concern that the mutation may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines. “This is an issue that really needs to be watched closely,” says Neil.
Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, Dr. Another concern, according to Çevik, is the uncertainty about the factors that have led to the transmission of the virus in recent weeks. Stating that the change in the virus may have affected contagion, Dr. Çevik notes that the rate of contagion is high in some areas where curfews are strictly enforced.
“Sometimes the problem is based on the disturbing reality of social inequalities. The effect of curfew restrictions on those unable to work at home has been limited,” says Çevik.
If the coronavirus mutation is more contagious, would social distance be enough?
Experts say that there is no clear information on the effect of the existing measures, as what is known about the new coronavirus mutation is still insufficient.
“I think a lot of people are too comfortable with social distancing now, but we shouldn’t forget that the risk increases as people get closer,” says Catherine Noakes, professor of environmental engineering at the University of Leeds.
Is it more dangerous than the previous virus?
Prof. Andrew Hayward answers the question of how worrisome the new mutation is: “I think we have enough information to know that this mutated strain of the virus is likely to cause a larger pandemic, much worse than we had previously predicted.”
According to Hayward, the increased infectious effect of the new type of virus “could lead to many more deaths,” considering the current casualty rate.
Prof. “In the coming months, I think the restrictions can be balanced until there are enough vaccines available so that we can act more flexibly,” says Noakes.
Will vaccines be effective against the new mutated species?
According to Gallagher, BBC Health Reporter, coronavirus vaccines are predicted to be effective against this mutation, at least for now.
The top three vaccines in the success rate develop immunity against the existing ‘spike protein’. Vaccines develop immune systems that target different regions of the virus. Therefore, even if the structure of the protein is mutated, the vaccines can still take effect.
Professor at the University of Cambridge. Ravi Gupta warns that if other mutations occur, the virus can exploit a gap in the system and that there may be worrisome developments.
