Should we be worried about the new variants of the coronavirus in Great Britain and South Africa? This is what we know so far

Reports from Great Britain and South Africa on a new variant of the coronavirus which seems to be spreading easier cause concern, but epidemiologists say that for now not easy if it is really a new strain, if it compromises the effectiveness of vaccines or if it can make the disease more serious.

The virus evolve naturally as they spread through the population, some more than others. This is one of the reasons why a new vaccine is required every year. against the flu.

New variants of the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 disease have been observed since it was first detected in China almost a year ago.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced new restrictions due to the new strain, and several countries in the European Union have suspended or restricted flights from Britain in an attempt to contain any spread.

What we know about the situation:

What is troubling about the new variant found in England?

Health experts in Britain and the United States have said it seems to spread more easily than others, but no test it’s more deadly.

Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, noted that the tension “move fast and it becomes the dominant variant, “causing over 60% of infections in London in December.

The strain is also of concern because it has many mutations – nearly two dozen – and some are on hot protein that the virus uses to adhere to and infect cells. This protein is the target current vaccines.

“Of course, that worries me,” but it’s too early to know how important this will be in the long run, said Dr Ravi Gupta, who studies viruses at the University of Cambridge in England. about the new strain on a website scientists use to quickly share developments, but the paper has not been formally reviewed or published in any medical or scientific journals.

How are these new strains produced?

Viruses often acquire small one or two letter changes in their genetic alphabet simply by normal course. A slightly modified strain may become most common in a country or region only because it became established there first or because “high spread” events helped it take hold.

Of most concern is when a virus mutates by changing the proteins on its surface to help it. avoid drugs or the immune system.

“Emerging evidence” indicates that this could be happening with the novel coronavirus, tweeted Trevor Bedford, a biologist and geneticist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “Now we have seen the emergence and spread of various variants” which suggest this, and some show resistance antibody treatments, he noted.

What other strains have emerged?

In April, Swedish researchers found a virus with two genetic changes that appeared to make it almost twice as infectiousGupta commented. Around 6,000 cases of this strain of coronavirus have been reported worldwide, mainly in Denmark and England, he added.

Several variants of this strain have already emerged. Some of these cases involved infected people mink farms in Denmark. A new strain in South Africa has two modifications that had been seen before, as well as new ones.

The one from Britain has both and more modifications, including eight in the spikey protein, Gupta said. It is called a “variant under study” because it is not yet known to what extent it is significant.

The strain was identified in the south-east of England in September and has been circulating in the region since then, a World Health Organization official told the BBC on Sunday.

Can people who have HIV-19 from an old strain get the new one? Will it interfere with the effect of the vaccines?

Probably noScott Gottlieb, commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday.

“It’s unlikely,” Gupta agreed.

Vivek MurthyPresident-elect Joe Biden’s candidate for public health director told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that there was “no without reason believe that the vaccines that have been developed will not be effective against this virus. ”

Vaccines produce a wide range of answers on the side of the immune system beyond that of the sharp protein, pointed out several medical experts.

The chances of new strains being resistant to existing vaccines are low, but not “non-existent,” said Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific advisor to the US government’s vaccination campaign, on the “State of the Union” program. . from CNN.

“ So far, I don’t think there has been a single resistant variant, ” he noted.

Bedford agreed.

“I’m not worried” because probably many changes would be necessary in the genetic code to undermine a vaccine, not just one or two mutations, Bedford tweeted. But vaccines may need to be updated over time as changes accumulate and changes need to be monitored more closely, he wrote.

Murthy said the new strain did not involve changing recommendations from health authorities on wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining social distancing.

By Marilynn Marchione, Associated Press

ap