- The coronavirus mutation in the UK is spreading faster than other variants and has reached several other countries, including America.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a discussion with California Gov. Gavin Newsom that he was not surprised that variant B.1.1.7 was already spreading in the U.S.
- The director of NIAID also offered good news about the mutation, revealing that early data from Britain show that people who recovered from COVID-19 are no longer susceptible to a new infection with the mutated virus.
- The finding indicates that vaccines would also work against the mutation.
Several countries have begun vaccinating people with one of the three candidates for the COVID-19 vaccine who have so far received emergency use authorization. Deployment of vaccines is slow because there is not enough supply. The drugs offer great immunity against severe COVID-19, but this protection needs a few weeks. That’s why it will be a few months before vaccines start to curb outbreaks across the country and around the world. Therefore, protection measures will also be needed for most of 2021 in order to further reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.
The reality is that the pathogen is still spreading widely, with the United States and most of Europe still having problems with significant outbreaks of COVID-19 that continue to set new records. The new coronavirus mutated early in the pandemic into a more contagious version that swept the world. By the end of 2020, we learned that the virus had acquired another set of genetic changes that further increased its ability to infect cells. The UK mutation released a few weeks ago, also known as B.1.1.7, is a collection of 17 genetic changes the virus has acquired. The theory is that the virus mutated in an immunosuppressed patient with an active COVID-19 infection that lasted several months. The result is a version of coronavirus that is even more infectious than its “parents”, and this version is primarily responsible for the record number of British cases. B.1.1.7 is no more fatal and does not cause more severe COVID-19. However, it is spreading more efficiently than before and the strain has already been discovered in several countries, including the US.
Experts are still studying the new variety for definitive answers, but Dr. Anthony Fauci already has good news about B.1.1.7. The new strain does not appear to reinforce COVID-19 patients who have already recovered, and this is great news for vaccines.
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Vaccine manufacturers BioNTech and Moderna have already released statements saying their vaccines are likely to work against B.1.1.7. Further testing will be followed to determine exactly what changes, if any, need to be made to the medications.
Coronavirus vaccines indicate to the immune system that it produces neutralizing antibodies and B and T cells specifically targeted to the virus’s ear protein. The same is true naturally in patients who survive COVID-19. Any significant mutation at the peak protein level could render these vaccines useless. The same goes for neutralizing antibodies, as well as B and T cells produced after infection with the actual SARS-CoV-2 virus. Immune cells may not recognize the new pathogen and a second infection may be possible.
Dr. Fauci spoke with California Gov. Gavin Newsom during an online debate and addressed the detection of B.1.1.7 in the U.S. Doctors in Colorado and California have confirmed that the mutated strain is spreading through these states. Fauci said he was not surprised that the coronavirus variant is already in circulation in the United States, noting that more cases are likely to appear in the country.
“It seems that this particular mutation makes the virus better transmitted from one person to another,” the NIAID director said. But he added that colleagues in the UK found that people infected with B.1.1.7 “don’t seem to get infected again because of it”. He added that acquired immunity against another strain of coronavirus “is protective against that particular strain.”
If neutralizing antibodies created after COVID-19 can block B.1.1.7, so will neutralizing antibodies created after vaccines. In either case, the immune system creates antibodies that respond to the ear protein. The same goes for B and T cells involved in immune responses. Some T cells will recognize infected cells and kill them, whether the infection is B.1.1.7 or a different variant. Simultaneously, B cells would recognize the pathogen and initiate mass production of antibodies.
Further research will be needed to confirm these initial findings and it is important to note that B.1.1.7 still presents a significant risk. If it is more contagious, it could become dominant in other countries, as is happening right now in the UK. A more infectious version of the disease, even if it does not cause more severe COVID-19 courses, can still cause more deaths.
That is why vaccination campaigns need to be expanded. Fauci said Wednesday that vaccination campaigns will improve, although the current distribution is below initial estimates. “When we enter January, the feeling is that we will gain momentum so we can catch up,” he told Newsom. “When we get to early fall, we’ll have enough immunity for the herd to be able to really get back to a strong appearance of normalcy: schools, theaters, sporting events, restaurants.”
Fauci also explained in previous interviews that the same public health measures that everyone has been advising will also work against variant B.1.1.7. This includes wearing face masks, practicing social distancing, and washing hands frequently with soap and water or hand sanitizer.
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Chris Smith began writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it, he was sharing his views on technology issues with readers around the world. Whenever he doesn’t write about gadgets, he can’t get away from them, even though he tries desperately. But this is not necessarily a bad thing.