London, United Kingdom.
The British health authorities started the frantic search of a person infected with the variant of Manaus (Brazil) from coronavirus, face the worry that vaccines don’t be like that effective against that tension.
According to Health, edl’m unidentified individual did not complete the location log when it did a test of the COVID-19 last February, so his whereabouts are unknown, which has led to a search officer huge across the country.
That is why the Healthcare Department asks who the results of a covid-19 test on February 12th or 13th, let him say In touch with the authorities.
This variant, known as P1, was first discovered in people traveling to it Japan since Manaos andI last January.
The UK’s vaccination minister, Nadhim Zahawi, told the Sky channel today that the species is similar to the found in South Africa, for what is feared more infectionsay “is from concerns’ after the plague the country suffered from the British variant.
The government has indicated that they have already communicated to the World Health Organization (WHO) on the finding in the United Kingdom din these cases of the variant of Manaus.
The British executive has vetoed its flights from dand different countries from South America, Portugal and South Africa, as a way of getting the dissemination of these new variants which the process of vaccination.
There are already three variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus potentially more contagious that the international community is concerned about at a time when it is trying to contain the pandemic with vaccination campaigns. This is what is known:
What are these variants?
All the mutant virus, that is it To adjust when they replicate.
The SARS-CoV-2 It has undergone multiple variations since its appearance, but generally these have had no consequences. Some mutations However, they can promote their survival, for example, if they have a greater contamination.
The variant B.1.1.7, now called VOC 202012/01, was detected in November Bee UK, after development “probably” in September in the southeast England, according to Imperial College London.
After a rapid spread in that country, this variant was found in dozens of other countries, from U.S to South Korea, via India, France and Denmark.
Most cases are imported from the UK but some have no proven relationship with that country, as is the case Denmark.
The variant 501.V2, now majority en Sudáfrica, fIt was discovered there in October and has been located in other countries, such as the UK and France.
According to experts, the number of cases of both variants is underestimated.
Both have different mutations, one of which is the N501Y, affects protein “spike” del coronavirus, a tip that serves to hold on to ACE2 receiver de human cells and penetrate them.
This mutation increases the possibilities of adhesion of the virus to the ACE2 receptorAnd while “there is no clearly established relationship between ACE2 compliance and a higher transmission, it is possible that this exists, “said the European Center for Prevention and Disease control (ECDC).
Several scientific studies, mainly based on modeling and not yet evaluated by other experts in accordance with the scientific protocol, conclude that the British variant is much more transferable, This is confirmed by the first review of the NERVTAG research group, which advises the UK government and which distinguishes the difference between + 50% and + 70%.
According to the calculations of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the British variant would therefore be between 50-74% more contagious.
For Imperial College London the possibility to contamination is between 50-75% higher and the reproduction rate (R) is between 0.4 and 0.7 higher than the usual virus.
Preliminary findings on the South African variant also show a higher transmission, but less data is available.
However, these results are based on epidemiological observations, like the explosion of the epidemic in England, but other factors may play a role in explaining this situation, such as the application of the prevention measures.
“It seems that one or two mutations are responsible for one higher infectivity, but this has yet to be verified ‘scientifically, which can take a while,’ explains Vincent Enouf, of the National Reference Center for Respiratory viruses from the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
Countries like Germany, Belgium and Mexico attributed to these variants the explosion of cases during the second wave of the pandemic in Europe and North America.
The chief epidemiologist of the United States, Anthony Fauci, pointed out last month that after the data released by the United Kingdom government, it must be assumed that the British variant can “do more damage, including death “.
“We must now assume that what is mainly circulating in the UK has some degree of increase in what we call virulence, that is, the power of virus that causes damage, including the death”, explained the expert. The risk “is high in terms of hospitalizations and deaths,” he added.
And it is that “ greater infectivity ultimately comes down to a much stronger incidence and therefore more significant pressure on the plumbing system Although the lethality (of the variants) is the same, “said Coignard.
A SARS-CoV-2 variant that was “50% more transmissible would be more of a problem than a 50% more deadly variant “, British epidemiologist Adam Kucharski indicates on Twitter, using a statistical demonstration: with a reproduction rate of 1.1, a 0.8% mortality rate and 10,000 infected people, 129 would die after a month. But if the infection rate increased by 50%, it would be dead would rise to 978.
On the other hand, the first studies on the British variant They point to what it is more contagious between the young people below 20 years than the usual kind.
Do they affect the effectiveness of vaccines?
“For now, we don’t have enough information to say” these variants “pose a risk to the efficacy of the vaccine “, the ECDC estimates.
With the available data, “experts believe current vaccines will be effective against this one tribesHenry Walke of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States said Wednesday.
For his part, BioNTech / Pfizer, who developed the first vaccine against COVID-19, They assured Friday that this is effective against the mutation N501Y common to the British and South African variants and already prepare one third dose to strengthen protection.
But the study didn’t look at all mutations present, which does not conclude that the efficacy of the vaccine is the same as against the classic virus.
In fact, a specific mutation in the South African variant raises more questions than the rest.
Call E484K, this mutation could theoretically “help “the virus “bypassing the immune protection obtained by a previous infection or vaccination,” said Dr. François Balloux of University College London, quoted by the British organization Science Media Center.
However, there are currently no indications that this mutation is sufficient for the variant South African resistant to current vaccines, según Balloux.
Several labs assured that they could quickly provide new versions of the vaccine if needed.
How to deal with the variants?
Lack of ability to lthe spread of these variants, The goal is “slow down” to the maximum, according to Coignard.
ECDC recommends affected countries take measures similar to those at the start of the pandemic, such as restricting travel and testing people from risk areas. It also requires controlling its incidence variants, multiplying the sequencing of viruses.
Some PCR tests may also suggest the presence of the British variant.
On an individual level we have to deal even more strictly with preventive measures “, according to Dr. Walke, referring to washing hands, wearing masks, etc.