Advice to the media
Friday, February 12, 2021
Editorial emphasizes the need for a global response.
What
The rise of several significant variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has attracted the attention of science and health experts around the world. In an editorial published today in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, experts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which are part of the National Institutes of Health, explain how these variants have arisen, the concern about whether currently authorized vaccines will continue to be protected from new variants and the need for a global approach to combat SARS-CoV-2 as it spreads and acquires additional mutations.
The article was written by NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD; John R. Mascola, MD, director of NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center (VRC); and Barney S. Graham, MD, Ph.D., deputy director of VRC at NIAID.
The authors note that the overlapping discovery of several SARS-CoV-2 variants has led to confusing terms used to name them. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants is so recent that the World Health Organization and other groups are still developing an appropriate nomenclature for the different variants.
Numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2 have appeared in recent months. The authors note that variants known as B.1.1.7 (first identified in the UK) and B.1.351 (first identified in South Africa) concern scientists because of emerging data suggesting their greater transmissibility.
Variants can lead to several different mutations, but changes in the tip protein of the virus, which is used to enter and infect cells, are of particular concern. Changes in this protein may make a vaccine less effective against a particular variant. The authors note that variant B.1.351 may be partially or fully resistant to certain SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies currently authorized for use as therapeutic products in the United States.
Recognition of all new variants, including a new emerging strain (20C / S: 452R) in California, requires systematic evaluation, according to the authors. The increase in these variants is reminiscent of the fact that, while SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread, it has the potential to evolve into new variants, the authors point out. Therefore, the fight against SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 will require robust surveillance, monitoring and deployment of vaccines worldwide.
The authors also point to the need for a coronavirus vaccine. Once researchers know more about how the virus changes as it spreads, it is possible to develop a vaccine that protects against most or all variants. Although similar research programs for other diseases, such as influenza, already exist, the changing nature of SARS-CoV-2 indicates that they will be needed for this virus.
Article
JR Mascola et al. SARS-COV-2 Viral variants: dealing with a moving target. JAMA DOI: 10.1001 / jama.2021.2088 (2021).
WHO
NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD, John R. Mascola, MD, director of NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center (VRC); and Barney S. Graham, MD, PhD, NIAID’s deputy director of VRC, are available for comment.
NIAID conducts and supports research, at NIH, throughout the United States and around the world, to study the causes of infectious and immune diseases and to develop better means to prevent, diagnose, and treat these diseases. Press releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.
Regarding the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
NIH, the country’s medical research agency, includes 27 institutes and centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the leading federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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