The highly contagious strain, first discovered in South East England last September, has spread to more than 80 countries.
A highly contagious strain of coronavirus first discovered in South East England last September has now spread to more than 80 countries and there are warnings that it will “take the world”.
Experts believe that the B.1.1.7 variant can be between 30 and 70 percent more contagious and about 30 percent more deadly than other versions of the new coronavirus in circulation.
B.1.1.7 is defined by 23 mutations of the original strain of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, first discovered in December 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
After being registered in Kent, the variant quickly became the dominant strain of all infections in the United Kingdom.
It is not yet known whether the variant actually emerged in Kent, a county near London described as the “Garden of England”, because of its fruit-filled orchards and rolling countryside, or was simply discovered there for the first time.
Scientists have said the species may have evolved in just one person who was infected with the novel coronavirus for a sufficient period of time for it to transform.
Now B.1.1.7 is responsible for about 90 percent of all new COVID-19 infections recorded in the country.
Its rapid spread in the UK has led to an increase in cases and deaths, and a new national lockdown was enforced on January 4.
The variant also spread outward, and quickly.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 83 countries have reported cases of the species.
It has been observed on every continent on Earth except Antarctica.
The spread of B.1.1.7 increases fears of two other highly contagious strains in circulation – the so-called Brazilian and South African variants, known to scientists as 20I / 501Y.V2 or B.1.351 and P.1, respectively.
At the heart of the concern is whether the vaccines currently in use will work against the mutations.
The Brazilian and South African variants have the E484K mutation, which is found on the spike protein of the virus.
The mutation is believed to help the virus evade antibodies and slip past the body’s immune defenses. Scientists have warned it could weaken the effectiveness of vaccines.
For its part, the UK is confident that the vaccines used in the country – by Oxford-AstraZeneca and another by Pfizer-BioNtech – are effective against B.1.1.7 and other variants.
But a new mutation in the B.1.1.7 strain recently detected in the city of Bristol, in the south west of England, could potentially undermine the shots, Sharon Peacock, director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium, told the BBC.
To date, 21 cases have been recorded of the Bristol variant, which has the E484K mutation.
The new mutation has been identified as a “variant of concern” by the UK New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group in the UK.
“Worryingly, the 1.1.7, which is more transmissible, that has engulfed the country, is now mutating to have this new mutation that could threaten vaccination,” Peacock said.