The UK on Saturday announced a surprise closure in London and parts of the country. The decision was forced on the Boris Johnson government by an increase in cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The UK is now seeing its third wave of infections, or a second wave that seemed to slow down until it suddenly picked up momentum, and the country recorded around 35,000 new infections on December 17, the highest in a day.
The UK’s sudden decision can be attributed to the discovery of a new strain of Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes coronavirus disease and which, Johnson said while imposing the blockade, was 70% more infectious than others. strains of the virus. . It is believed that most new cases in the country are driven by this variant, and that up to 60% of cases in London are caused by this.
The closure of London, which disrupts the Christmas and holiday plans of many of the city’s residents, was announced on Saturday afternoon, but came into effect only at midnight, prompting a large-scale exodus. from the city to the countryside, the type of struggle is avoided at any time, but especially when a viral pandemic occurs through the city and the country. Days before announcing the closure, Johnson said it might be necessary to impose one after Christmas, but clearly the fear of his strain was forced by fear of a mutant strain.
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It’s not just the UK; South Africa announced on Friday that a new strain of the Sars-CoV-2 virus has been detected in the country and could be causing the second wave of infections in the country. The country has experienced a rebound in cases since mid-November and the seven-day average of new cases is around 70% of the peak seen in the first wave, and is rising.
There are some interesting similarities between the new strains in the UK and South Africa. Both, according to the health authorities of the two countries, appear to be spreading more rapidly. The two strains appear to share a mutation, which alters the structure of the virus’s ear protein. Health officials in both countries believe this could help the virus spread faster; after all, the tip protein is how the virus binds to the receptors on human cells. In South Africa, scientists studying the variant claim that the new strain produces higher viral loads in patients, based on studies of swab samples.
Here’s what we know: the two new strains (the South African one would seem older and more widespread, according to the country’s health authorities) show a significant number of mutations, including a shared one (N501Y is what scientists in they say)) that affects the ear protein. And both strains appear to be more infectious.
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Viruses mutate, so the fact that Sars-CoV-2 shows mutations is not uncommon or cause for alarm. But these mutations could influence both their virulence and the effectiveness of vaccines, and this certainly deserves to be deepened.
This is what we do not know: we do not know for sure whether the new strain is more infectious; we do not know for sure whether the new strain causes higher viral loads in patients (which in turn makes it more infectious); we don’t know for sure if the new strain causes more severe forms of Covid-19 (initial tests seem to suggest no, but we don’t know for sure) and they produce more deaths; and we do not know whether the vaccines that have so far been successful against the virus are also effective against the new strain.
That’s a lot of things we don’t know, but that’s exactly how science works. It will be interesting to see if the current strains of Sars-CoV-2 detected in India show any of the mutations observed in the new strain in the UK and South Africa, especially N501Y.