New coronavirus variants continue to emerge.This is what we know about them

A subspecies suspected of contributing to the outbreak of coronavirus in the Amazon region of Brazil Appear in Minnesota.. Another thing that South African officials are worried about will appear in two locations, South Carolina and Maryland a few days later.

Scientists are not surprised to see the coronavirus changing and evolving. After all, that’s what the virus does. And with so many unchecked spreads in the United States and other parts of the world, the virus has plenty of opportunities to do just that.

Four of the new variants are of particular concern.

“Recently identified variants seem to spread more easily. They are highly infectious, increase the number of cases, and can increase stress on systems that are already overloaded,” the United States said. Dr. Rochelle Warrensky, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a briefing Wednesday.

Scientists are most afraid to mutate until it causes a more serious illness, bypass the ability of tests to detect it, or circumvent the protection provided by vaccination. Some of the new variants appear to have changes that appear to affect the immune response, but that’s a matter of degree.

The government is already reacting. Colombia has banned flights from Brazil and Brazil has banned flights from South Africa. It’s almost certainly too late to stop the spread. There are some signs that mutations in these variants occur independently and in multiple locations.

This is what is known about the top four.

B.1.1.7

At the top of the list of US researchers is the first B.1.1.7 variant found in the United Kingdom. The CDC warns that it can exacerbate the pandemic epidemic. More than 300 cases have been reported in 28 states, but these are only those detected by genomic sequencing, with hits and mistakes in the United States.

Listening to new mutated viruses can scare people, but scientists say they are relieved of what they find: the human immune system is mutated so far, especially B.1.1. Can handle 7.

“As far as we know, it’s transmitted in exactly the same way,” Gregory Armstrong, who heads the CDC’s Advanced Molecular Detection Bureau, told CNN.

That is, the same measures already known to reduce spread will also stop new varieties. Use of masks, social distance, avoidance of large groups and crowds, frequent hand washing.

However, mutations in the variant make it easier to invade cells. That is, if someone inhales a full lung of air that contains viral particles, those particles are more likely to infect some cells in the sinuses. Lungs, not bounce harmlessly. Anxious changes strengthen the peaplomers that the virus uses to attach to cells. That is, people are more likely to get infected by exposure.

So, until vaccination speeds up, people need to work harder to prevent the spread.

“In order to interrupt the transmission, we need a higher rate of what we do to slow down the transmission,” Armstrong said. “We need to pay more attention to wearing masks, and we need to expand the coverage of the vaccine.”

There were some misleading reports as to whether B.1.1.7 caused a more serious illness in the UK.

“The latest data show from the UK that it looks a bit more toxic in the sense that it can cause more serious illnesses.” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a webcast hosted by the National Education Association on Thursday.

B.1.351

The first variant found in South Africa, called B.1.351 or 501Y.V2, was first reported in South Carolina on Thursday in the United States. On Saturday, the Governor of Maryland announced that a sample from someone in the Baltimore region also showed a characteristic mutation pattern for B.1.351.

None of the three have come into contact with each other and have never traveled recently. This suggests that the variants are spreading undetected in the community.

According to the World Health Organization, it is found in more than 30 other countries.

“The first subspecies detected in South Africa spread rapidly across Africa, so what is awakening me tonight is very likely to be endemic in many African countries. That’s what Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Director of Africa, said. I said on Thursday.

It has a different pattern of mutations that causes more physical changes in the structure of peplomer than B.1.1.7. One important mutation, called E484K, appears to affect the receptor binding domain. This is the most important part of the peplomer for cell attachment.

It may help the virus partially escape the effects of the vaccine. “I’m more concerned about immune escape,” Armstrong said. Vaccine makers and academic researchers are testing samples of this variant along with other variants to see if the immune response caused by vaccination can be avoided.

Fauci says that even so, there is an extra cushion of immunity caused by vaccination. It gives room for some wiggles. “The good news is that the vaccines that currently exist are still effective against the mutants. Calm news … As replication increases, the evolution of mutants can increase. That is, always. We need to be one step ahead, “Fauci told CNN on Monday.

Teams such as Columbia University and Columbia University’s Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center are also testing laboratory-made versions of viral mutations in the blood of vaccinated people, with slightly reduced effectiveness of vaccination. Seems to be, but not yet enough to weaken protection — not yet.

However, Maryland-based vaccine maker Novavax released preliminary results for the coronavirus vaccine on Thursday. Only 60% showed effectiveness.

To be on the safe side, Pfizer and Moderna say they are working on a booster vaccine for the variant. Vaccine design aims to make it a fast and easy process. All you have to do is plug in a new version of the genetic code used to generate the vaccine.

There is also evidence that this change may help escape from monoclonal antibody therapy with Eli Lilly and Company and Regeneron.

P.1

A subspecies suspected of helping the resurgence of virus spread in Brazil first appeared in Minnesota in January. Since it was a traveler from Brazil, there are no signs of community expansion yet.

This variant, called P.1, was found in 42% of the specimens in a single survey in Manaus, Brazil, and Japanese officials found an atypia in four travelers from Brazil. ..

“The emergence of this variant raises concerns about a potential increase in the transmission or prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in individuals,” said the CDC. There is also an E484K mutation in P.1.

L452R

Finally, there are varieties found not only in California, but also in 12 other states. “I still don’t know what that means,” Armstrong said. There are also mutations in the receptor binding domain of peplomer. It is called L452R and is commonly seen, but it is not yet clear if it is more contagious.

Any virus strain can become more common because of what is known as the founder effect. “The founder effect is a matter of having the virus in the right place and at the right time,” Armstrong said. If a particular strain is circulating when human behavior increases transmission, the strain becomes common to ride, not because it is easy to spread, but simply because it was there.

Further research is needed to show whether these variants can already increase the spread of astronomical viruses. There are more than 25 million diagnosed cases and more than 430,000 deaths in the United States. However, the Institute for Health Metrics at the University of Washington is now beginning to include variants in its predictions.

“The rapid spread of mutations can extend the daily mortality of more than 1,000 people well beyond May 1,” it states. Forecast for January 28th. By May 1, 595,000 people had died in the United States on the IHME project.

“The emergence of variants emphasizes the need for public health activities,” Warensky advised.

“First, get vaccinated when it’s your turn. Also, some people need help getting vaccinated. Schedule or schedule your neighbors and loved ones. Then consider helping with. Then wear a mask. Practice social distance, wash your hands. And finally, it’s not time to travel. “

This story has been updated to rename the California variant to L452R and add new occurrence details for the Maryland B.1.135 variant.