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A new variant of COVID-19 in the UK is believed to be behind the faster spread of infections in south east England, but it is not the first time the virus has mutated since the start of the pandemic.
In fact, it may not even be the first time that a mutation, or a change in the genetic material of the virus, has altered its degree of infectivity.
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‘Vigilance’ required on new variant of COVID
Should we be worried?
Mutations, while terrifyingly named, aren’t necessarily a bad thing.
Every virus mutates because, when it comes into contact with a host, it makes new copies of itself that can infect other cells.
RNA virus like coronavirus they are more prone to slight changes as the copies are made.
In some cases, a mutation can even weaken the virus. But in others, they could make the virus more infectious or cause more serious illness.
COVID-19 has been mutating every week or so, and many of the mutations have had no impact on the virus.
This last mutation found in the UK appears to help the virus spread faster, but there is no indication yet that it has made it more deadly or that it could evade a vaccine.
Sky science correspondent Thomas Moore has said the mutation “is not entirely unusual,” but “it is something they will be watching very closely.”
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There is no evidence that a new strain affects the vaccine
What are the different strains?
So far, there have been at least seven major groups, or strains, of COVID-19 as it adapts to its human hosts.
The original strain, discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, is known as the L.
It then mutated into the S strain in early 2020, before being followed by the V and G strains.
The G strain has been found most frequently in Europe and North America, but because these continents were slow to restrict movement, it allowed the virus to spread faster and thus further mutated in the GR strains. , GH and GV.
Meanwhile, the original L strain persisted longer in Asia because several countries, including China, were quick to close their borders and stop the movement.
Several other less common mutations are grouped as strain O.
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What are the most common strains around the world?
G strains are now dominant throughout the world, particularly in Italy and Europe, coinciding with peaks in shoots.
A specific mutation, D614G, is the most common variant. Some experts say that this variation has made the virus more infectious, but other studies contradict it.
Meanwhile, the previous strains, such as the original L strain and V strain, are gradually disappearing.
Analysis by the Reuters news agency shows that Australia’s rapid reaction to the pandemic and effective social distancing measures have eliminated transmission of the older L and S strains in the country, and that new infections are the result of the G strains brought from abroad.
In Asia, the G, GH and GR strains have been on the rise since the beginning of March, more than a month after they started to spread in Europe.
Will mutations affect the vaccine?
So far, experts have not found any variant that could make a vaccine less effective, and the virus has slowly mutated.
Reacting to the new strain found in the UK, England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said it would be “surprising” if it had an effect on the vaccine, although he added that there should be more hard data relatively soon.
Federico Giorgi, a researcher at the University of Bologna who coordinated a study on COVID-19 strains, told Science Daily: “The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is presumably already optimized to affect humans, and this explains its low evolutionary change.
“This means that the treatments we are developing, including a vaccine, could be effective against all strains of the virus.”
A group of scientists from various institutions, including the University of Sheffield and Harvard University, also suggested that G strains might be a better target for a vaccine because these strains have more spike proteins on their surface.
However, researcher at the Institute of Genetics at University College London, Lucy van Dorp, said that we should still remain “vigilant” and continue to monitor any new mutation.
There is no evidence that a new strain affects the vaccine
The best way to ensure that the virus does not bypass a vaccine is to stop the spread of infections and reduce the chances of mutation.
Catherine Bennett, chair of epidemiology at Melbourne’s Deakin University School of Health, said: “If the virus changes substantially, particularly the spike proteins, then it could escape a vaccine. We want to slow down transmission globally to slow down the watch.
“That reduces the chances of a one in a trillion change which is bad news for us.”
