READ MORE: South African COVID-19 Variant Emerges in Houston Area; town identifies first cases of British tribe
What is the ‘South African variant’?
The coronavirus variant, first found in South Africa, was discovered in October. It has since been found in at least 30 other countries, including the US.
Where is the variant found in the Houston area?
Dr. Jacqueline Minter, director of Fort Bend County Health, confirmed that a resident from her county was confirmed for the species. The male who became ill from the variant has recovered.
How do experts screen for the South African variant?
Checking for these variants was done by analyzing a random sample of COVID-19 tests. For now, Texas breaks down the virus to see its structure and sends that data to its Utah Public Health Lab partners to perform analysis and variant identification. The state is currently setting up that infrastructure to conduct its own analysis, which should be available sometime in February.
Do the new variants mean that the current COVID-19 tests are less accurate?
The country’s largest testing companies and labs say their coronavirus tests are prepared to accurately identify new strains of virus as they emerge.
Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp., Two of the largest test processing labs in the US, say they have reported no changes to the accuracy of their test data with false negatives of the new British coronavirus variant.
Is it true that the variants are found in our wastewater?
Dr. David Persse, the City of Houston’s Chief Medical Officer, confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday that the city found the first evidence of the British variant in sewage from multiple neighborhoods last week. He added that at the moment the South African variant has not been detected as part of their testing.
WATCH: Houston Shares Early Results of Wastewater Virus Test
Are you more likely to catch the South African variant?
Professor Salim Abdool Karim, an infectious disease expert and COVID-19’s chief scientific advisor in South Africa, told ABC News that the variant could be up to 50% more transmissible than pre-existing variants.
If someone has already had COVID-19, can they catch it again?
Scientists aren’t quite sure yet, but they say it’s possible. Health officials are concerned that people could get COVID-19 a second time if the virus changes enough.
SEE ALSO: What Do New Variants of the Coronavirus Mean for Texans? And how can we best protect ourselves?
Is the South African variant more dangerous?
It’s too early to tell, but it can be more difficult for doctors to help you treat it. Some tests suggest that the South African and Brazilian variants may be less susceptible to antibody drugs or antibody-rich blood from COVID-19 survivors, both of which help people fight the virus.
The limited research currently available shows that the new variants identified so far are no more deadly, according to the CDC. But they are more contagious, which can lead to more cases. More cases can lead to more hospital admissions and possibly more deaths.
SEE ALSO: What We Know So Far About COVID-19 Variants Worldwide
Both the UK variant and the variant first identified in South Africa are a cause for concern to officials and experts as they transfer more easily than the tax the US has been fighting for so far. And as leaders race to get Americans vaccinated, they say the newer strains could spread quickly.
“The projection being made with regard to the UK (variant) is that it will likely become more dominant in this country in late March, early April,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Friday during a White House newsletter.
“The fact is that when you have a virus that can be more efficiently transmitted than the wild-type in the community, sooner or later by pure viral dynamics itself, it will become more dominant than the wild-type,” Fauci said.
Do vaccines work against the South African variety?
Experts warn that this variant may have an impact on the efficacy of currently available vaccines, but the testing work continues. Scientists from UTMB-Galveston tested the blood of people vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine against the different strains.
Researchers found that less neutralizing antibodies were produced in the South African variant compared to the other strain tested.
“We know from the lab that many of these vaccines don’t work that well against the South African variety,” said Dr. Hana El Sahly of Baylor College of Medicine.
Should you get the vaccine if you can?
Although the coronavirus has mutated somewhat, the vaccines still seem to provide some level of protection to the people who receive them
Less neutralizing antibodies does not mean the vaccine is less effective. An immune response is still activated that provides protection above a certain threshold.
The problem is now, researchers just don’t know where that threshold is.
Will people who have already been vaccinated need more injections?
Biotechnology company Novavax said it is developing a booster to protect against newly emerging species.
The company recently announced that its vaccine, known as NVX-CoV2373, was found to have an efficacy of 89.3% in a Phase 3 clinical trial conducted in the UK and the vaccine was shown to demonstrate clinical efficacy against some variants of the coronavirus .
In January Novavax started developing boosters for the newer variants.
“The company plans to begin clinical testing of these new vaccines in the second quarter of this year,” said Novavax.
WATCH: How Well Do Pfizer and AstraZeneca Work Against Variants?
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