coronavirus mutation
The strain, known as VUI-202012/01, may be up to 70% more transmissible - and brings an "unusually high number" of changes. This new variant of COVID-19 in the UK which is believed to be causing the faster spread of infections in the south-east of England has been described as "a real cause for concern". But this isn't the first time the virus has mutated since the beginning of the pandemic, and it may not even be the first time that a mutation - or a change in the virus's genetic material - has altered. its infectious nature.
Is it more transmissible?
Yes. Presumably, VUI-202012/01, could be up to 70% more transmissible and could increase the R number by 0.4. The latest figures suggest that this strain is responsible for 43% of new infections in the South East, or 59% of new cases in East England and 62% in London. An unusually large number of variants "- 23 different changes - have been identified with this new strain.
Professor Whitty urged people not to travel outside of these areas as there was a "significant risk" of transmitting it.
Does it make people sicker?
There is no current evidence yet to suggest that the new strain causes a higher death rate or affects vaccines and treatments, "but work is underway to confirm this. Research is ongoing to better understand it, but urgent action is essential. There is no part of the UK and the world that shouldn't be affected. As in many countries, the situation is fragile.
Does the new strain respond to the vaccine?
The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium said it was difficult to predict whether a given mutation was important when it first appeared, but agreed that the greatest concern was any changes resulting in increased re-infections or a vaccine failure. So far, experts have not found any variant that could make a vaccine less effective, and the virus has been slow to mutate. Federico Giorgi, a researcher at the University of Bologna who coordinated a study on strains of COVID-19, told Science Daily: "The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is probably already optimized to affect humans, which explains its low mutation profile, this means that the treatments we are developing, including a vaccine, could be effective against all viral strains.
What are the different strains?
So far, there have been at least seven major clusters, or strains, of COVID-19.
1-The original strain, discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December of last year, is known as the L. 2-It then mutated to strain S in early 2020, before being followed by strains V and G.
3- The G strain was most often found in Europe and North America - but because these continents were slow to restrict movement, it allowed the virus to spread faster and therefore mutate more into GR, GH and GV strains.
4-Meanwhile, the original L strain persisted longer in Asia because several countries - including China - quickly closed their borders and halted movements.
5-Several other less common mutations are grouped under the O strain.
6-In Denmark, authorities were concerned about a strain of the virus found in 12 people linked to mink farming.They were concerned that the mutation could affect the effectiveness of a vaccine because it had occurred in spike protein, and as a result the government ordered a mass slaughter of up to 17 million animals and a one-month lockdown for people living in the northwest of the country.
What are the most common strains in the world?
G strains are now dominant in the world, especially in Italy and Europe, coinciding with peaks of epidemics. A specific mutation, D614G, is the most common variant. Some experts say this variation made the virus more infectious, but other studies have contradicted this. During this time, earlier strains such as the original L strain and the V strain gradually disappear. Reuters news agency analysis shows that Australia's rapid response to the pandemic and effective social distancing measures have eliminated transmission of previous L and S strains in the country, and new infections are the result of G strains imported from overseas. In Asia, G, GH and GR strains have been on the increase since early March, more than a month after their release in Europe.
Source: Sky News Sunday December 20, 2020 https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-should-we
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