LONDON (Reuters) – The variant of the coronavirus first found in the British region of Kent is a concern because it is mutating and therefore could undermine the protection offered by vaccines against the development of COVID-19, said the head of the program of UK genetic surveillance.
He also said the British variant was dominant in the country and would probably “sweep the world, in all likelihood.”
The coronavirus has killed 2.35 million people and turned normal life upside down by billions, but some worrying new variants of thousands of people have raised fears that vaccines will need to be modified and that people may need booster shots.
Sharon Peacock, director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK consortium, said vaccines were effective so far against UK variants, but that mutations could undermine vaccines.
“What worries me about this is that variant 1.1.7 that we’ve been circulating for a few weeks and months is starting to mutate again and get new mutations that could affect the way we handle the virus in terms of immunity and vaccine effectiveness. “Peacock told the BBC.
“It is worrying that 1.7.7, which is more transmissible, which has ravaged the country, is now mutating to have this new mutation that could threaten vaccination.”
This new mutation, first identified in Bristol, in the south-west of England, has been identified as a “variant of concern” by the Advisory Group on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats.
British chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said the Bristol variant had one of the same mutations as the South African one. “It’s not uncommon for it to have happened and it will happen elsewhere as well,” he said Wednesday.
“Getting this variant makes it a little more likely to look different to the immune system, so we have to monitor it, we have to measure it, we have to keep it on top and keep testing the effects of the vaccine. in this situation “.
So far there are 21 cases of this variant that has the E484K mutation, which occurs in the tip protein of the virus, the same change that has been seen in the South African and Brazilian variants.
“It has to be realistic that this particular mutation has emerged in our lineage of community gardens now, at least five times, five times separately. And so, that will continue to show up,” Peacock said.
The British should expect to receive repeated vaccines against COVID-19 in the future to keep pace with virus mutations, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.
There are three major known variants of concern to scientists: the South African variant, known to scientists as 20I / 501Y.V2 or B.1.351; the British variant known as 20I / 501Y.V1 or B.1.1.7; and the Brazilian variant known as P.1.
The British variant, which is more infectious but not necessarily more deadly than others, was likely to “sweep the world,” Peacock said.
“Once we overcome (the virus) or it mutates to be virulent, causing disease, we can stop worrying about it. But I think, looking to the future, we will do it for years. In my opinion, we will still do it. ten years later. “
The two COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer / BioNTech and AstraZeneca protect against the main British variant.
Guy Faulconbridge Reports; Editing by Kate Holton and Nick Macfie