The world is at odds with the emergence of three new types of COVID-19, each showing signs of being more dangerous and damaging during an already devastating pandemic.
Scientists are keeping a close eye on new variants that have surfaced in the UK, South Africa and Brazil – all of which have now reached the US.
Viruses are constantly making copies of themselves as they spread, sometimes creating mutations that die out – and sometimes evolving into mutations that give it a head start.
With these changes, they can become resistant to vaccines and other treatments.
The trio is being followed to see how easily they spread, whether they are more deadly, and whether vaccines and proven treatments are still effective against them.
“Not every mutation is created equal,” said Mary Petrone, an infectious disease expert at Yale University. “The virus will be lucky every now and then.”
Here’s what we know about each new variant so far:
Variant in the United Kingdom
This variant – also known as B117 – was first discovered after an unexpected rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the UK in early December.
Scientists raised the alarm about the new strain because it showed changes in the “spike” protein – the part of the virus that makes it infectious.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson later confirmed those fears were correct – he said the new variant turned out to be at least 70 percent more transmissible.
Initially it was not believed that the strain would cause worse illness or death.
But British officials turned off course after new research indicated it is linked to slightly more fatalities in older adults.
The death rate from the coronavirus among 60-year-olds in the UK was about 10 per 10,000. But with the new species, there were about 13 or 14 deaths in the same population, USA Today reported.
The newer variant also appears to be dominated by symptoms other than those associated with the original COVID-19 virus.
Patients with the strain are more likely to have a sore throat, muscle aches and fatigue, according to the survey released by the UK Office for National Statistics.
But so far, there is no reason to panic about the available COVID-19 vaccines that do not work to protect against the British strain.
White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said the vaccines should still be effective, although there could be a “very small reduction” in protection.
“The cushion you have for efficacy is so great that it will not negatively impact,” said the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
South African variant
This mutation, known as the 501Y.V2 variant, first alarmed experts when it quickly took over the dominant species in some regions of South Africa in December.
The species was responsible for more than 90 percent of the new cases that month in the Eastern Cape province and then spread to the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
Experts believe it’s about 50 percent more contagious, meaning it’s more effective for getting into human cells.
The variant has a mutation called 484, which experts fear could somehow get antibodies to infect people who are already sick with the virus, USA Today reported.
The mutation could mean that the strain is less susceptible to antibody drugs or plasma from COVID-19 survivors, both of which help people fight the virus.
Experts are also concerned about how vaccines will perform with the variant.
A small, preliminary study found that the Novavax vaccine was only 49.4 percent effective against the strain, although overall it is 90 percent effective against the virus, the drugmaker said.
Biotech company Moderna is developing a new COVID-19 vaccine booster after research showed that the neutralizing antibody response of the shot to the South African variant was six times weaker than other strains.
Brazilian variant
The Brazilian species, known as the P.1 variant, was first identified in four travelers tested during a routine check at Haneda Airport outside Tokyo, Japan.
Experts have said the variant is also likely to be more contagious than the original coronavirus strain, although it has not been definitively proven as it has mutations similar to the British and South African strains.
However, the species has quickly become widespread in some regions of Brazil, accounting for about half of new infections in the Amazon city of Manaus in December.
It is unclear whether the variant causes more serious illness, which would lead to more hospitalizations and deaths.
But there are already concerns that, like the South African variety, it may be resistant to natural immunity – which would dampen the herd’s hopes for immunity.
In Manaus, a 29-year-old woman who contracted the virus in March became infected with the newer variant in December, USA Today reported.
Fauci has said experts are already looking at ways to modify vaccines and treatments to maintain their effectiveness with new strains.
“What we will do and do is prepare for the possibility that … we will have to adapt and upgrade the vaccines in the future,” Fauci said.
With pole wires