- A new coronavirus mutation was discovered in South Africa, where a version called 501.V2 appears to feed the second wave of COVID-19 in the country.
- The new strain appears to be more dangerous, causing more serious illnesses in younger patients who do not suffer from other medical conditions.
- Health experts believe the new SARS-CoV-2 strain can still be defeated with current vaccines.
Like any other pathogen, the new coronavirus is constantly evolving in response to the hosts it infects. It is a mutation that allowed the virus to launch species between animals and eventually reach humans. At least, that’s what researchers think happened to the original strain that infected the first people. The upcoming WHO investigation into China could uncover more answers about the early days of the Wuhan outbreak.
SARS-CoV-2 continued to mutate after that, with scientists closely following these genetic changes. This is crucial because mutations can make a virus more infectious or dangerous and can make it difficult to research drugs and vaccines. So far several notable strains of coronavirus have been found. The D614G mutation is believed to be responsible for the current state of the pandemic. This mutation does not make the virus more dangerous, but it does make it more infectious. D614G left China and infected most of the world and returned to Asia a few months later. Since then, other strains have been discovered, including a couple of new versions of coronaviruses that are spreading rapidly in the UK and South Africa. Now it looks like the latter could be the more dangerous of the two.
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The Cluster 5 mutation in Danish mink made the world a short frenzy a few weeks ago. The local government warned that the mutation could elude neutralizing antibodies that could block the virus’s ear protein. These proteins are formed when someone beats the virus after infection or through a vaccine. However, concerns about the mink mutation have diminished since the early scare, and it appears that current vaccines may still work against this new strain.
A few days ago, UK health officials announced that another new coronavirus mutation was spreading rapidly to the south of the country. The strain showed 17 different genetic changes, most affecting the ear protein. One of them is called N501Y, which affects the reason for binding to the ear protein receptor, according to the UK COVID-19 Genomics Consortium. According to public health officials, the mutation did not appear to cause more serious illnesses.
Now, a few days later, South African authorities have reported another SARS-CoV-2 mutation that is apparently driving the country’s second wave. South Africa is approaching one million infections, with more than 24,000 people killed by COVID-19 complications. The second wave began in mid-November, with the country recording more than 10,000 cases in a single day a few days ago. This seems to be the local peak of the second wave, but the case count may continue to rise.
South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced the 501.V2 mutation in the virus, reports East Africa. Unlike the UK strain, this can cause more serious illnesses. The official said on Twitter that local doctors had found anecdotal evidence of patients presenting at the clinic. They said a larger proportion of young people develop critical illnesses without suffering from other comorbidities.
“The evidence that has been gathered, therefore, strongly suggests that the second wave we are experiencing is being driven by this new variant,” Mkhize said during a virtual briefing on Friday.
The second wave also appears to be spreading faster than the previous one, according to local officials. The Genomics Surveillance Network in South Africa (NGS-SA) discovered the mutation in several provinces, noting between 10-20 mutations that have not been seen in other strains since September. It is unclear if the new version is coming.
Health officials “remain convinced” that current vaccines will work against the new strain, he says East Africa.
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Chris Smith began writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it, he was sharing his views on technology issues with readers around the world. Whenever he doesn’t write about gadgets, he fails to stay away from them, even though he tries desperately. But this is not necessarily a bad thing.