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The strain first detected in England, which could be 30% more deadly than other variants, has spread to more than 50 countries.
The coronavirus variant first recorded in the south-east of England is likely to ‘sweep the world’ and become the world’s most dominant strain, the UK’s genetic surveillance program manager said, as concerns grow over emerging mutations in the virus.
Since its detection in September in Kent, a county known as the ‘Garden of England’ and popular with commuters because of its proximity to London, the B.1.1.7 variant has spread to more than 50 countries .
The tension sparked enough concern to force a new national lockdown in the UK and led to global panic.
Experts said it could be up to 70% more infectious and around 30% more deadly than other variants.
After crossing the UK and storming out, the Kent variant was now on track to ‘sweep the world in all likelihood,’ Sharon Peacock, director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium, said Thursday, at the BBC.
She also warned that although COVID-19 vaccines have so far proven effective against the B.1.1.7 variant and other viral strains found in the UK, other mutations could potentially compromise the vaccines.
“What’s worrying about this is that the 1.1.7 variant that we’ve had in circulation for a few weeks and months is starting to mutate again and get new mutations that could affect the way we deal with the virus in terms of immunity and vaccine efficacy, ”Peacock says.
“It is worrying that 1.1.7, which is more transmissible, which has swept the country, is now mutating to have this new mutation which could threaten vaccination.
New ‘worrying variant’ detected in England
The new mutation Peacock is talking about, first identified in Bristol, southwest England, has since been named a ‘variant of concern’ by the UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group .
So far there are 21 cases of this variant, which has what is called the E484K mutation. Scientists believe that the E484K mutation may help the coronavirus escape antibodies, potentially reducing the effectiveness of vaccines.
“You have to be realistic that this particular mutation has appeared in our kind of community garden line now, at least five times – five different times. And so it’s going to keep showing up, ”Peacock said.
“Once we are on top [the virus] or it mutates on its own because it’s virulent – causing disease – then we can stop worrying about it. But I think looking into the future we’re going to be doing this for years to come. We will do this again 10 years later, in my opinion.
The mutation occurs on the virus spike protein and is the same change that has been detected in other emerging strains detected in South Africa and Brazil – known to scientists as 20I / 501Y.V2 or B .1.351 and P.1 respectively.
Rory Challands of Al Jazeera, reporting from the capital London, said Peacock’s warning was further evidence that the battle against COVID-19 is likely to be a “long-term project”.
“That’s not to say it’s going to be an acute public health crisis for that long, because different strains of the coronavirus have different impacts,” he said.
“Not all are deadlier, and once you get the virus under control they all go away as a public health crisis, but you need to stay on top of new variants as they occur so that the vaccines you use can continue to be as effective as possible ”.
The coronavirus has killed more than 2.3 million people and disrupted the normal lives of billions of people since the pandemic erupted in December 2019.
The UK has recorded nearly four million cases and the virus has killed more than 115,000 people, one of the highest death rates in the world.
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