New strains of coronavirus: how many exist, what differentiates them from each other and what we know so far about each of them

The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 left more doubts than certainties. Globally, infections now exceed 103 million and deaths total 2.2 million since the start of the global crisis. But in recent weeks, a new concern began to pierce the nascent hope that came from the hand of approved COVID-19 vaccines: the emergence of new variants of the virus.

How many are there? What makes them different? Can new strains emerge? Are they more virulent and deadly? Are vaccines effective? Scientists have so far been surprised by the appearance of at least three variants of coronavirus, but nobody dares exclude that other new mutations will be known in the future.

// New strains of coronavirus are already present in more than 100 countries

The British strain

The first case of British variant was reported on December 14 in the UK. it’s about the mutation named B.1.1.7 and, according to scientists, it has a increased risk of transmission, although at the same time, the severity of the condition that the patient is going through is less.

Doubts soon came from all over the planet. Are emergency-approved COVID-19 vaccines effective against this variant of the virus? In principle, the main international laboratories that have developed antidotes for the coronavirus have guaranteed that their vaccines are able to control this mutation.

Within weeks, the British variant spread across Europe and the United States. It is already circulating in more than 50 countries according to the World Health Organization. In Argentina, the first case of British strain was detected on January 16 in an Argentine citizen residing in Great Britain who came to visit the country.

The South African strain

The South African variant of the virus was first reported on December 18. Share with the British higher transmission capacity, although without causing more serious photos. This strain, known as B.1.351, it spreads 50% faster. Natural antibodies are less resistant to the virus.

The Moderna laboratory announced that its vaccine protects against this variant, just like the British.

This strain has a mutation in the spike protein, a spike that can penetrate cells and infect humans. It is precisely this mutation that makes that the virus escapes more antibodies.

The virus reproduces much more in immunocompromised patients. Initially, it represented 20% of positive samples in South Africa, then 30%, then 40%. He currently represents between 60% and 75% of cases and it has spread to many countries around the world.

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The Brazilian strain

The Brazilian variant was known on January 12. This strain, called B.1.1.28.1 was unveiled on January 12 in the Amazon region of Manaus, home to a emergency situation due to explosion of infections. Of the 12 mutations that this variant presents, one of them coincides with the British and Brazilian strains.

But it is still not known whether it has a greater transmission capacity and whether the vaccines that have been applied against the coronavirus are effective against this new mutation.

// Five answers on the new strains of Covid 19

The alarm on the appearance of this new strain was not known in Brazil, but in Japan, after the arrival of four passengers in Tokyo with symptoms of coronavirus after spending a week in the Amazon.

Scientists warn that this variant generated “A number of unusual genetic alterations”, several of them in the spike protein, which the new coronavirus uses to enter human cells. Twelve mutations were identified only in this leading protein of the Brazilian variant, three of them are of particular concern: K417N, E484K, N501Y.

This variant has been detected in Brazil, Japan, United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, South Korea and Ireland. However, it is not known whether this new variant produces more serious pictures of the disease.

The case of Mexico

But beyond these three strains, a new concern has arisen in recent days regarding the possible emergence of a new variant: mexican. Scientists at the University of Guadalajara suspect that four coronavirus patients could be affected by a new mutation.

The so-called E484K variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in Jalisco on January 27. Of the four patients, only one had contact with a stranger in Puerto Vallarta, where the infection started. The others did not report any contact with people who had traveled abroad.

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However, experts claim that need to do more studies to determine or rule out that the world is facing a new variant of the virus that is causing more concern and uncertainty just as vaccination campaigns have begun.

The rector of the University Center for Health Sciences, José Francisco Muñoz Valle, said they were working “on sequencing protocols to be able to define whether only the E484K mutation is found in the identified samples or if there are other mutations which can define a strain characteristic of the Mexican population ”.