A worrying new variant of coronavirus first discovered in South Africa, known as B.1.351, has already spread to more than 30 countries. Experts are especially alarmed by this variant because of its potential to “escape” protection from current vaccines, meaning that vaccines may not stop people from becoming infected with COVID-19. Here’s what you need to know about the new variant.
What is it?
The B.1.351 variant is a strain of the coronavirus with eight characteristic mutations in the virus’s spike protein, the structure that allows the virus to bind to and infect human cells, a study by South African researchers finds posted on the preprint site. medRxiv in December 2020.
Where did it come from?
This variant was first discovered in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, in early October 2020, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It increased rapidly and within weeks it was the dominant species in parts of the country. Now South African officials find the variant in more than 90% of samples from COVID-19 patients undergoing genetic sequencing, according to The Washington Post.
“It’s amazing and terrifying how quickly it started to dominate,” said Dr. Richard Lessells, an infectious disease expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, at the Post.
Moreover, the variant has now surfaced in at least 32 other countries; and a number of countries, including the US, have banned travel from South Africa, the Post reported.
Is it in the US?
Yes, the first two cases of B.1.351 were reported in South Carolina in the U.S. Thursday (Jan. 28), according to a statement from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The two cases do not appear to be related, and neither case had a history of recent travel, suggesting the variant is spreading in the community.
Is it more contagious?
This variant seems to spread more easily, and studies show that it is about 50% more transmissible than previous strains of the coronavirus. This is worrying because the more people the virus infects, the more people who are hospitalized or die from the disease.
Do vaccines work against the South African variety?
Even more troubling is the finding that current COVID-19 vaccines may not work as well against this variant.
Johnson & Johnson released new data on its COVID-19 vaccine candidate on Friday (Jan. 29), showing that its vaccine was 72% effective in the US and only 57% effective in South Africa, where the new variant is dominant. Live Science previously reported.
Additionally, another vaccine maker, Novavax, released early results Thursday (Jan. 28), showing that its vaccine was nearly 85% effective against the so-called British variant, but only 50% effective at preventing infection with the South African variant. Nature reported.
This reduced effectiveness is also likely to show up with other vaccines.
A recent study of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, looking at blood samples from people who had been vaccinated, found that the levels of antibodies produced in response to the South African variant were six times lower than the levels produced in response on other tribes, according to The scientist.
Despite this reduction, the vaccine is expected to provide some protection against the variant, the the company said in a statement.
“You could reduce the vaccine-induced antibody activity by a few times and still stay well within the range of protection,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in a newsletter on Wednesday (Jan. 27).
Still, Moderna said out of a plethora of caution, the company has begun work on a “booster vaccine” dose against the South African variant, which could potentially be added to the two-dose series for the existing vaccine.
How does it differ from the British variant?
The UK coronavirus variant was first discovered in the UK in September 2020, Live Science previously reported. Both the South African and British varieties appear to be more transmissible than other species. And the variants share some of the same mutations in the spike protein.
But the South African variant has a mutation known as E484K, which is not found in the British variant. This mutation may be responsible for the South African variant’s ability to partially evade vaccines. The mutation is believed to reduce the ability of certain antibodies to neutralize or render the virus inactive Newsweek.
There is early evidence that the British variant may be more deadly than other variants, Live Science previously reported; but so far there is no evidence that the South African variety is more deadly.
Am I immune to the South African variant if I already had coronavirus?
Maybe not. The E484K mutation may also reduce the ability of antibodies from natural COVID-19 infection to neutralize the virus.
In the Novavax trial in South Africa, many people were re-infected with the South African variant after contracting the virus earlier in the pandemic.
And in a study of 44 people in South Africa who were previously infected with COVID-19 earlier during the pandemic, more than 90% showed reduced immunity to the new variant when researchers tested their blood, and nearly half had no protection against it. , thus to USA Today.
Originally published on Live Science.