LONDON (Reuters) – A new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Britain and is causing high levels of concern among its European neighbors, some of whom have cut off transport connections.
The strain, referred to by some experts as the B.1.1.7 lineage, is not the first new variant of the pandemic virus to appear, but it is said to be up to 70% more transmissible than the previously dominant strain in the UK. .
ARE THE CONCERNS JUSTIFIED?
Most scientists say yes. The new variant has quickly become the dominant strain in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the south of England and has been linked to an increase in hospitalization rates, especially in London and the adjacent county of Kent. .
Although first seen in Britain in September, in the week of December 9 in London, 62% of COVID-19 cases were due to the new variant. This compared to 28% of cases three weeks earlier.
The governments of Australia, Italy and the Netherlands say they detected cases of the new strain. It was identified in the Netherlands in early December.
Some cases of COVID-19 with the new variant have also been reported to ECDC, the European disease control agency, by Iceland and Denmark. According to the media in Belgium, cases have also been detected.
“It’s okay to take it seriously,” said Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London. Shaun Fitzgerald, a visiting professor at Cambridge University, said the situation was “extremely worrying”.
BECAUSE?
The main concern is that the variant is significantly more transmissible than the original strain. It has 23 mutations in its genetic code, a relatively high number of changes, and some of them affect its ability to spread.
Scientists say it is about 40% -70% more transmissible. The UK government said on Saturday it could raise the “R” reproduction rate by 0.4.
This means it is spreading faster in Britain, making the pandemic there even more difficult to control and increasing the risk that it will also spread rapidly to other countries.
“The new B.1.1.7 … still seems to have all the human lethality that the original had, but with increased transmission capacity,” said Martin Hibberd, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
WILL COVID-19 VACCINES PROTECT AGAINST THIS VARIANT?
Scientists say there is no evidence that vaccines currently being deployed in the UK (made by Pfizer and BioNtech) or other shots of COVID-19 in development do not protect against this variant.
“This is unlikely to have anything more than a minor effect, if any, on the vaccine’s effectiveness,” said Adam Finn, a vaccine specialist and professor of pediatrics at the University of Bristol.
British chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance also said COVID-19 vaccines appeared to be suitable for generating an immune response to the coronavirus variant.
“We’re not seeing … any abrupt change in peak protein that reduces the vaccine’s effectiveness so far,” said Julian Tang, a professor and clinical virologist at the University of Leicester.
DOES THE NEW VARIANT AFFECT THE TESTS?
To some extent, yes.
One of the mutations in the new variant affects one of the three genomic targets used by some PCR tests. This means that in these tests, that target area or “channel” would be negative.
“This has affected the ability of some tests to detect the virus,” said Robert Shorten, a microbiology expert with the Association of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine.
Since PCR tests generally detect more than one white gene, however, a mutation in the ear protein only partially affects the test, reducing the risk of false negative results.
ARE THERE OTHER SIGNIFICANT SARS-CoV-2 VARIANTS?
Yes. COVID-19 virus-causing strains have emerged in recent months in South Africa, Spain, Denmark and other countries that have also caused concern.
However, so far none have been found to contain mutations that make it more lethal or more likely to elude vaccines or treatments.
DID THIS NEW VARIANT ORIGINATE IN BRITTANY?
Vallance said Saturday that he believed the new variant could have started in the UK. Some scientists in Europe have accredited British experience in genomic surveillance to identify the mutation.
“The UK has one of the most comprehensive genetic surveillance programs in the world: between 5% and 10% of all virus samples are genetically tested. Few countries do better, “Steven Van Gucht, head of viral diseases at the Belgian Institute of Health, said on Monday.
Additional reports by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, edited by Josephine Mason and Mark Heinrich