The mutation of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom: what …

The technical manager of the pandemic of coronavirus of World Health Organization (WHO), Maria Van Kerkhove, said that “So far there is no evidence” that the new strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 detected in the UK “behaves any differently” to knowledge. The rapid spread of the virus in southern England has raised alarms and British scientists are trying to determine if it is linked to the new mutation.

“Efforts are underway to confirm whether or not either of these mutations contribute to further transmission,” researchers from the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) said in a press release on Tuesday. .

Scientists pointed out that the mutations include changes in the protein in the form of a “spike” that is key for SARS-CoV-2 to infect human cells, said a group of scientists who trace the genetics of the virus. virus. What The aim is now to determine whether these nine strains make the virus more infectious..

A priori, the WHO does not believe it. Van Kerkhove explained that this variant has already been analyzed by the working group on the evolution of viruses in the body. “It appeared in the context of mink variants identified elsewhere,” he said.

In a similar vein, the Executive Director of the WHO Emergency Program, Mike Ryan, noted that “This type of evolution and mutations is actually quite common”. “The question, as we have had more recently with the mink variants in Denmark and before, is, does this make the severity of the virus worse? Does it allow the virus to be transmitted more easily? Interfere in any way with the “Would this interfere in any way with the effectiveness of the vaccine?” None of these issues have yet been addressed, ”he said.

The identification of a new strain of coronavirus in the UK was announced Monday by the country’s Minister of Health Matt Hancock in a report he submitted to the House of Commons.

According to British media, the existence of this variant has been reported in 60 areas by local authorities. Its spread is increasing faster than the existing variant, with more than 1,000 cases found, “mostly in the south of England,” Hancock noted.

The new variant was said to have been officially identified for the first time in Kent last week, and ministers reported on it on Friday. Hancock assured MPs that currently “there is nothing to suggest” that this variant is more likely to cause severe symptoms, adding that it is highly unlikely that it will not respond to a vaccine.