The world is on the verge of the emergence of three new strains of COVID-19, each of which shows signs of being more dangerous and harmful during an already devastating pandemic.
Scientists are watching closely the new variants that have emerged in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, and have now arrived in the United States.
Viruses make copies of themselves constantly as they spread, sometimes creating mutations that fade away, and others, evolving into those that give them an advantage.
With these changes, they could become resistant to vaccines and other treatments.
The trio is being monitored to see how easily they spread, if they are more deadly, and if vaccines and proven treatments are still effective against them.
“Not all mutations are created equal,” said Mary Petrone, an infectious disease expert at Yale University. “The virus will get lucky from time to time.”
Here’s what we know about each new variant so far:
Variant of the United Kingdom
This variant, also known as B117, was first detected after an unexpected increase in COVID-19 cases in the UK in early December.
Scientists warned about the new strain because it featured changes to the “ear” protein, the part of the virus that makes it infectious.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson later confirmed that these fears were correct, saying the new variant appeared to be at least 70% more transmissible.
At first, the strain was not believed to cause worse disease or more death.
But British officials reversed course after a new investigation indicated it is linked to slightly more fatalities in older adults.
The coronavirus mortality rate among 60-year-olds in the UK had been around 10 per 10,000. But with the new strain, there had been about 13 or 14 deaths in the same population, USA Today reported.
The new version also appears to be dominated by symptoms other than those associated with the original COVID-19 virus.
Patients with stress are more likely to suffer from neck pain, muscle aches and fatigue, according to a survey published by Britain’s National Statistics Office.
But so far there is no reason to panic if the available COVID-19 vaccines do not work to protect themselves from the UK strain.
The White House medical advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci said vaccines should be effective, although there could be a “very small decrease” in protection.
“The pillow you have of effectiveness is so large that it will not negatively affect,” said the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
South African variant
This mutation, known as the 501Y.V2 variant, first alarmed experts when it quickly took over the dominant strain in some regions of South Africa in December.
The strain accounted for more than 90 percent of new cases that month in Eastern Cape Province, then spread to Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
Experts believe it is about 50 percent more contagious, meaning it is more effective at entering human cells.
The variant has a mutation called 484, which experts fear could somehow overwhelm antibodies to infect people who have already been ill with the virus, USA Today reported.
The mutation may mean that the strain is less susceptible to antibodies or plasma from COVID-19 survivors, which help people fight the virus.
Experts are also concerned about the performance of vaccines with the variant.
A small preliminary study found that the Novavax vaccine was only effective against the strain, with 49.4%, although it is generally effective against the virus, according to the pharmacist.
Modern biotechnology company is developing a new COVID-19 vaccine booster after research shows that the response of neutralizing antibodies to the shot against the South African variant was six times weaker than with other strains.
Variant of Brazil
The Brazilian strain, known as the P.1 variant, was first identified in four travelers who were tested during a routine examination at Haneda Airport, outside Tokyo, Japan.
Experts have said the variant is also likely to be more contagious than the original strain of the coronavirus, although it has not been definitively proven because it has similar mutations in British and South African strains.
The strain has quickly become in some regions of Brazil, accounting for about half of new infections in the Amazonian city of Manaus in December.
It is unclear whether the variant causes more serious illness, which would result in more hospitalizations and deaths.
But there is already concern that, like the South African variant, it may be resistant to natural immunity, which would lower hopes of immunity in the herd.
In Manaus, a 29-year-old woman who caught the virus in March became infected with the new variant in December, USA Today reported.
Fauci said experts are already looking for ways to adjust vaccines and treatments to maintain their effectiveness with new strains.
“What we will and will do is prepare for the possibility that … on the finish line, you may have to modify and update the vaccines,” Fauci said.
With publishing cables