6 Covids including Bristol, Kent and Liverpool

The coronavirus, which first arrived in the UK about a year ago, continues to mutate, and many variants are now prevalent in the UK.

The original virus that causes Covid-19 is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, and World Health Organization experts have just completed a trip to the area to investigate its origin.

When a case of a mutant strain of the virus from South Africa was discovered here, strict new travel rules were introduced to the United Kingdom.

More travel restrictions came when tensions from Brazil were detected-still the strictest border rules came into force on Monday.

But at the same time, native mutations in the virus have been seen in the UK, with new strains increasing in Kent, Bristol and Liverpool.

According to experts this week, a 70% higher infection variant of Kent is likely to become the dominant strain in the world.

There are “variants of concern” and “variants under investigation”.

SARS-CoV-2 variants are raised for formal investigation if they are thought to be related to epidemiological, immunological, or pathogenic properties.

At this point, they are designated as variants (VUIs) under investigation by year, month, and number. Following risk assessments by the relevant expert committee, they may be designated as variants of concern (VOCs).

This is what we know about all the strains found so far in the UK

Currently, there are four variations of concern.

Kent variant : First detected in the UK, first sequenced in the UK in September 2020 and called B117.

Bristol variant + E484K mutation : This variant was first detected in Bristol and is a British variant (B117) with genetic alterations in both South African and Brazilian variants E484K. There were 22 cases.

South African variant : First detected in South Africa and first sequenced in the United Kingdom in December 2020.

Brazilian variant : First detected in Japan by travelers from Brazil in January 2021, but not in the United Kingdom.

And there are two variants under investigation

Brazilian Variant 2: It was first detected in Brazil, with 28 confirmed in the UK and 1 in Scotland. It was first detected in November.

Liverpool Variants: Forty-three cases were detected in Liverpool and the northwest. It has the same E484K mutation as the Kent and SA variants.

UK / Kent Variant

The variant was first detected in Kent in September and spread in December, suggesting a surge in Covid-19 cases before the announcement of the second national blockade in the United Kingdom. ..

It is currently considered to be a major variant in the United Kingdom.

Analysis of a mutant known as B117 suggests that it is up to 70% more infectious than previous strains that prevailed in the United Kingdom.

Mutants Despite data suggesting that mutants may be more deadly, there is no evidence that existing therapies such as dexamethasone are ineffective against them.

One study suggests that people infected with British variants are less likely to report loss of taste or odor.

The Oxford / AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has similar efficacy against mutants compared to the original strain of Covid-19 in which it was tested.

Studies also suggest that the jab developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is effective against British variants of the coronavirus.

According to the company, the Moderna coronavirus vaccine will arrive in the UK in the spring and will be effective against all new mutations in the virus detected so far.

However, researchers have detected a strain of the British virus that developed E484K, a mutation found in South African and Brazilian variants.

Studies have shown that this mutation can better escape the body’s immune response and may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine.

UK / Kent variant + E484K mutation

This subspecies was first detected in Bristol and several other cases have been identified throughout the United Kingdom.

This results in the genetic alterations found in both South African and Brazilian variants, E484K.

Analysis of this variant is ongoing, and researchers are investigating how the vaccine affects strains.

South African variant

About 170 cases of this variant have been detected in the United Kingdom.

This mutant carries the E484K mutation, and experts suggest that it may be better at avoiding the human immune response.

According to a US study, the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is effective against this mutant.

However, another study found that Oxford / AstraZeneca jabs were ineffective in preventing mild illnesses caused by the more infectious South African mutations.

However, according to researchers, jabs will protect themselves from death and serious illness as South African variants prevail.

The UK’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer said the strain is unlikely to dominate the UK over the next few months.

Brazilian variant

Cases of Brazilian variants of concern have not been detected in the United Kingdom.

Experts detected a new subspecies epidemic in Manaus, northern Brazil, in December.

It is not yet known if the mutation causes more serious Covid-19, but evidence suggests that it may be more contagious.

Scientists are conducting an analysis to see if it has a higher mortality rate or if it affects vaccines and treatments.

The mutants are detected in Brazil and travelers from Brazil to Japan and contain unique constellations of the strains that define the mutations.

Like the South African variant, the Brazilian variant has a mutation in a peaplomer called E484K, raising concerns that the vaccine may not be very effective against it.

Other variants from Brazil have been detected in the UK, but experts say it’s not the cause of concern.

Why does the virus mutate?

The virus that causes Covid-19, Sars-CoV-2, has had many mutations since its introduction in 2019, some of which are more important than others.

However, this is expected because the viruses are RNA viruses such as influenza and measles, which tend to mutate and change.

Mutations usually occur by accident, and the fact that millions of people are infected puts pressure on the evolution of the virus.

Mutations can weaken the version of the virus. Also, the changes are so small that they may have little effect on the behavior of the virus.

The faster the new variant spreads, the more likely it is to infect more people and the higher the number of cases.

Viruses evolve to survive – mutations are a simple mistake that gives people the opportunity to continue to infect.

What is a mutation?

Simply put, the virus sends a series of instructions to cells in the body, which follow these instructions to make more new viruses.

Because the instructions are duplicated, one copy of the copied code is obtained for each new virus created.

If the instructions are incorrect and the virus infects a new cell, it either fails or the virus continues to replicate the mutated code.