A new variant of COVID-19 reaches Alabama: what that means for vaccines

As Alabama is pushing for vaccine deployment, Week saw the first confirmed case Of a highly contagious coronavirus strain from the United Kingdom.

And with the steady global spread of other variants from Brazil South AfricaDiscovered in South Carolina this week, the latter is raising stakes to vaccinate Americans as soon as possible.

However, there are new uncertainties about how effective existing vaccines are against mutations and whether a modified version of the shot needs to be deployed.

“This is the latest wrinkle in COVID,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “Some new mutations appeared here just as we thought we were riding on it to develop a vaccine and are currently deploying it.”

Experts like Schaffner expect existing vaccines to remain effective against new strains, but say further research is needed.

Dr. Antony on Friday Fauci called the arrival of a new variant in the United States a “wake-up call.” Immunize as many Americans as possible as soon as possible to prevent the virus from spreading further and mutating.

“It’s an incentive to do what we’ve been saying all the time. Immunize as many people as possible as soon as possible,” he said.

The current Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been identified in Montgomery and Jefferson counties this week and appear to be effective against highly contagious UK mutants that are rapidly becoming the predominant US COVID-19 strain. A new study this week shows that this strain can cause more serious cases.

Johnson and Johnson announced on Friday that the vaccine awaiting FDA approval would be slightly less effective. It is 57% effective against South African variants compared to 72% of the original strain. South African variants South Carolina this week Two individuals with no apparent connection or travel history.

Moderna is modifying the vaccine for use in South African strains. This is in case it turns out to be necessary as more becomes known.

Brazilian variant It is a specific cause Concerns among scientists For the way Spread quickly So far.Variants identified this week In Minnesota For those who have traveled to Brazil.

“The problem with the new virus is that it has a lot of room to grow, shift and change to optimize itself,” said Dr. Michael Mina of Harvard School of Public Health. “The question is how quickly it keeps updating itself.”

Experts say more research should be done on how effective the vaccine is against South African strains, which currently deviate most from the original virus.

“Vaccine makers can catch up with any mutation, but given the diversity of strains that circulate at one time, it can be a challenge,” Dr. Schaffner said.

Dr. Mina of Harvard University said he was uncertain that the existing vaccine could be renewed for all future variants. Assuming that it is possible to successfully modify an existing vaccine, it may make sense to wait first and see where the virus is heading.

“If you make changes to the vaccine, you may have a new virus again or there may be a new version of this virus by the time it is deployed,” he said.

However, Dr. David Kimberlin, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, hopes that no modified vaccine will be needed.

“What we know now is pretty encouraging. People who are currently vaccinated seem to be protected,” he said. “What we know today may not be what we know a week or a month from now.”

Deploying a renewed vaccine involves a variety of complications, including whether new trials are needed.

And there is a new question as to which vaccine priority group should be given the injection first, especially if some of the most vulnerable people have already been vaccinated and young people have not yet been vaccinated. Dr. Mina said.

“Doing it well (fairly) will be a real challenge,” he said.

“Ensuring fairness in the distribution of vaccine deployments is already facing great difficulty.”

And it’s not clear how willing some people line up for a fictitious third shot, whether it’s a booster or a new vaccination. According to a recent poll, only three-quarters of Americans say they will definitely or probably get vaccinated.

“People are already tired of COVID,” said Dr. Schaffner. “They will come back to us and say,’What do you mean and why didn’t you treat this virus for the first time?'” Are you saying there are new stocks now? Please take a break “

So far, rapid test expansion, wearing masks, and increasing social distance are the most powerful tools to prevent future mutations in the virus, Dr. Mina said.

“The best we can do to support a vaccine to ensure that it maintains its protective properties is to reduce the number of cases as much as possible through other means,” he said. Said.

Dr. Kimberlin of the UAB urged the University of Alabama to vaccinate.

“Sometimes and then wear a mask,” he said. “These will be like going through this period as we learn more about variants.”