Scientists suggest not to be alarmed by coronavirus strains

Does it spread more easily? Are people getting sicker? Does this mean that treatments and vaccines don’t work? Questions are multiplying just as fast as new strains of the coronavirus, especially the one that is now spreading in England. Scientists say there is cause for concern, but new species should not sound the alarm.

“There is no evidence that the severity is increasing” from COVID-19 for the latest strain, said Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO Director, Monday.

“We don’t want to overreact,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government’s chief infectious disease expert, told CNN.

Concerns have been growing since Saturday, when the British Prime Minister said a new strain of the coronavirus seemed to spread more easily than the previous one and spread quickly across England. Dozens of countries banned flights from the UK and the south of England was placed under strict lockdown measures.

Here are some questions and answers about what is known about the virus so far.

Where does this new strain come from?

New variants have been seen almost since the virus was discovered in China nearly a year ago. Viruses often develop small changes (mutations) as they reproduce and spread in a population, something that is “natural and predictable,” the WHO said in a statement Monday.

Most mutations are insignificant. It’s the change of one or two letters in the genetic alphabet that doesn’t make much difference in the ability to cause disease, ”said Dr. Philip Landrigan, who used to work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and now runs a program. of Global Health at Boston College.

A more concerning situation is when a virus mutates by altering the proteins on its surface to help it escape drugs or the immune system, or when it undergoes many changes that make it very different from previous versions.

How does a species become dominant?

That can happen if it is a “founder” tribe – the first to take hold and begin to spread in an area – or because “super-spreading” events have established.

It can also happen if a mutation gives a new variant an advantage, such as spreading more easily than other circulating species, as could be the case in Britain.

“It’s more contagious than the original strain,” said Landrigan. “The reason it’s becoming the dominant strain in England is because it outperforms other strains, moves faster and infects more people, so it wins the race.”

Moncef Slaoui, US government adviser on the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, said scientists are still trying to confirm whether the strain is spreading more easily in England.

The strain was first discovered in September, WHO officials reported.

What’s worrisome about it?

It has several mutations – nearly two dozen – and eight are in the spike protein that the virus uses to attach to and infect cells. This protein is used for the development of vaccines and antibodies.

Dr. Ravi Gupta, a virus expert at the University of Cambridge, England, said model studies indicate it could be up to twice as contagious than the strain most common in England so far. He and other researchers published a report about her on a website that scientists use to share their claims, but it has not been formally reviewed or published in a journal.

Does the stress make people sicker or are they more likely to die?

“There is no indication that either is true, but these are clearly issues we need to look at,” Landrigan said. As more patients become infected with the new species, “they will know relatively quickly if the new species is making people sicker.”

Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemic expert at WHO, said Monday that “the information we have so far is that there are no changes” in the type of disease or its severity because of the new strain.

What do mutations mean for treatments?

A few cases in England raise concern that mutations in some of the new strains could reduce the potency of drugs that deliver antibodies to prevent the virus from infecting cells.

“The antibody response is currently being investigated. We look forward to the results for the coming days and weeks, ”said Van Kerkhove.

A pharmacist, Eli Lilly, said tests in her lab with strains with the most concerning mutation indicate that the drug is still fully active.

And what about vaccines?

Slaoui noted that the current vaccines are believed to still be effective against the variant, but scientists are working to confirm this.

“I don’t expect this to be a problem,” he said.

British officials have said they “do not think there is an impact on vaccines,” Van Kerkhove noted.

Vaccines elicit broad immune system responses as well as cause the immune system to develop antibodies to the virus, so they are expected to still work, several scientists said.

Do travel restrictions help?

Landrigan thinks so.

“If the new species is really more contagious than the original one, then it makes a lot of sense to limit travel,” he said. ‘It will slow things down. As long as you can break the chain of transmission, you can slow down the virus. “

Fauci said he did not criticize other countries for suspending travel to England, but would not advise the United States to take such action, CNN said.

At present, the presence or size of the new species in the United States is unknown.

What can I do to reduce my risk?

Follow the advice to wear a mask, wash your hands regularly, keep a social distance and avoid large crowds, say public health experts.

“The bottom line is that we have to suppress the transmission” of all strains of the virus that cause COVID-19, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General.

“The more we let it spread, the more mutations there will be.”