How much do you need to worry about coronavirus variants?Virologist explains

Spring has come and there is a sense of security. After a year of blockade and social distance, more than 171 million COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States. About 19.4% of the population is fully vaccinated.. But there is something else in the air. It is a variant of the sinister SARS-CoV-2.

I Virologists and vaccineologistsThat is, I spend my days researching, designing and testing viruses. vaccine Strategies for viral diseases. For SARS-CoV-2, this task is more urgent.We humans are competing for immunity to this cage VirusIts ability to mutate and adapt seems to be one step ahead of our ability to acquire herd immunity. Due to the emerging variants, it could be a race to wire.

Five notable variations

RNA virus Like SARS-CoV-2, it changes constantly as you increase your own copy. Most of these mutations eventually go against the virus and are eliminated by natural selection.

But from time to time, they benefit mutated or so-called mutated viruses. One example is a mutation that improves the ability of the virus to attach more strongly to human cells, thereby enhancing viral replication. The other is a mutation that allows the virus to spread more easily from person to person, which makes it more contagious.

None of this is surprising for viruses that have newly arrived in human populations and are still adapting to humans as hosts. I don’t think of viruses, but they are dominated by the same evolutionary drive as all living things. The virus’s first job is to perpetuate itself.

These mutations result in several new SARS-CoV-2 mutants, causing outbreak clusters and, in some cases, outbreak clusters. Global spread..They are roughly categorized as: Variants of interest, concerns, or significant consequences..

There are currently five concerns in the United States. B.1.1.7 that occurred in the United Kingdom. B.1.351. , South African origin. P.1. First seen in Brazil; B.1.427 and B.1.429 both originate from California.

Each of these variants has several mutations, some of which are important mutations in important regions of the viral genome.Because Spike protein Required for the virus to attach Human cells, It carries a number of these important mutations. in addition, Antibodies to neutralize Viruses usually bind to spike proteins, so spike sequences or proteins are important components of the COVID-19 vaccine.

India and California recently detected “double mutation” variants It has not been categorized yet, but it is attracting international attention. They have one significant mutation in the peplomer similar to that found in the Brazilian and South African variants, the other already found in the B.1.427 and B.1.429 California variants. .. As of today, no variants have been categorized as a significant result, but this can change as new variants emerge, and you can learn more about variants that are already in circulation.

The first highly contagious COVID-19 mutant identified in the United Kingdom is currently reported in all states of the United States, and experts say that spread of the mutant can lead to a surge in cases. I am concerned. https://t.co/8qDF3rAzUc

— CNN (@CNN) April 6, 2021

More infections and worse illnesses

These variants are of concern for several reasons. First, the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern generally spread at least from person to person. 20% to 50% easy.. This infects more people, spreads faster and more widely, and eventually becomes the predominant strain.

For example, the B.1.1.7 UK variant, first detected in the United States in December 2020, is a circulating strain that is currently prevalent in the United States. Estimated to be 27.2% of all cases by mid-March.. Similarly, the P.1 variant, first detected by travelers from Brazil in January, is now causing havoc in Brazil, causing the collapse of the medical system, and At least 60,000 people died in March..

Second, the SARS-CoV-2 mutants of concern can also lead to more serious illness and increased hospitalization and mortality. In other words, they may have increased pathogenicity. Indeed, recent studies in the United Kingdom have shown that B.1.1.7 variant causes more serious illness and death..

Another concern is that these new variants may escape immunity elicited by natural infections or current vaccination efforts. For example, antibodies from people who have recovered after infection or who have been vaccinated may not be able to bind efficiently to the new variant virus, resulting in reduced neutralization of that variant virus.This can lead to reinfection and reduce the effectiveness of the current Monoclonal antibody therapy And vaccines.

Researchers are investigating whether vaccines against these mutants will be less effective. Most vaccines appear to remain effective against British variants, but one recent study found AstraZeneca vaccine is ineffective in preventing mild to moderate COVID-19. B.1.351 According to South African variants.

Meanwhile, Pfizer recently released data from a subset of South African volunteers. High efficacy of the mRNA vaccine against B.1.351 mutants..The other encouraging news is that T cell immune response Triggered by Natural SARS-CoV-2 infection Or mRNA vaccination Recognizes all three variants of the UK, South Africa and Brazil. This suggests that the T cell response stimulated by vaccination or spontaneous infection provides some protection against such mutants, even when neutralizing antibody activity is reduced.

Be vigilant and get vaccinated

What does this mean? Current vaccines may not be able to prevent the mild symptomatological COVID-19 caused by these mutations, but they may prevent moderate to severe illnesses, especially hospitalization and death. That’s good news.

However, it is imperative to assume that current SARS-CoV-2 variants are likely to continue to evolve and adapt. A recent study of 77 epidemiologists from 28 countries found that the majority needed to update their current vaccines within a year to better treat new variants, and vaccination rates. I think it is low. May promote the emergence of such variants..

What do we need to do? What we’ve done so far is to use masks, avoid poorly ventilated areas, practice social distance techniques, slow down transmissions, and avoid further waves caused by these new variants. You need to continue. In addition, as many people as possible should be vaccinated as soon as possible in order to reduce the number of cases and reduce the chances that the virus will generate new mutants and escape the mutants. And to do so, it is imperative that public health authorities, governments and non-governmental organizations work on vaccine hesitation and equity, both locally and globally.

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