Chinanews client, Beijing, December 23 (Reporter Zhang Ni) Recently, news of the accelerated spread of the mutant new crown virus in the UK has attracted global attention.
Has the pathogenicity of the mutant virus really become stronger?
Is the vaccine still protective?
Can wearing a mask protect against the virus?
What should we do next?
This series of questions affects everyone's nerves.
On December 21, local time, the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras International Railway Station in London, England, was empty.
Is the mutant virus more pathogenic?
British Prime Minister Johnson announced on the 19th that a mutated new crown virus is spreading in London and southeast England, spreading 70% faster than the originally discovered virus.
On the 21st local time, the WHO held a regular press conference. Maria van Kochoff, the technical director of WHO's health emergency project, said that by studying the characteristics of the case and the sequence of the virus gene, British researchers discovered that the name "B117" A retrospective analysis of cases in the southeast of England was carried out, and it was found that such variants existed in some cases in September this year.
Maria van Kokhov said that South Africa has also discovered another variant of the new coronavirus. Although it appeared at the same time, it is an unrelated variant. South Africa has notified the WHO of the preliminary results of some studies. .
While the speed of transmission is accelerating, has the pathogenicity of the mutated virus also increased?
This is currently the most worrying issue for the public.
Regarding this issue, WHO Director-General Tan Desai emphasized that the virus will mutate over time, which is natural and expected.
The United Kingdom reported that the mutated virus is more likely to spread, but there is currently no evidence that it is more likely to cause severe illness or death. WHO is working with scientists to understand how the mutation affects virus behavior.
Tan Desai said that it is necessary to contain the spread of all new coronaviruses as soon as possible. The higher the spread of the virus, the more opportunities for the virus to change. All governments and everyone need to take preventive measures to limit the spread of the virus.
Data map: On December 8, local time, the UK began to receive the new crown vaccine.
Is the vaccine still protective?
Currently, many countries are deploying vaccinations. So, will the emergence of virus mutations affect the effectiveness of existing vaccines?
On the 22nd, Zhong Nanshan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said when talking about the issue that the mutant virus that appeared in the UK was said to increase the infection rate by 70%, but there is no specific content about whether the case fatality rate and other aspects have changed, and there is no further information on whether the effectiveness of the vaccine is affected. Evidence, but it depends on further development.
Michael Ryan, head of the WHO's health emergency project, said that in the past few months there have been many mutations in the new coronavirus, some of which have driven the spread of the new coronavirus, but none of the variants can cause more serious diseases or escape the diagnosis. Does not affect vaccine efficacy.
In addition, according to the WHO, the United Kingdom believes that the virus mutation will not affect the effectiveness of the vaccine, and the results of the antibody response study will be announced in the next few days or weeks.
Data map: Pudong Airport customs officers check the information of incoming passengers.
Photo by Yin Liqin
Has the mutant virus been imported into China?
Virus mutations occur abroad, what is the domestic situation?
Has the mutant virus been imported into China?
In this regard, Feng Zijian, deputy director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said recently that from the current virus sequences obtained in China, including viruses obtained from various sources such as imported personnel, goods, and cold chain products, no mutant viruses have been found in China. enter.
Relevant departments will continue to pay close attention to and closely monitor the activities of the virus.
Data map: People travel with masks.
Photo by Wang Dongming
Is it effective to wear a mask for protection?
After the virus mutates, are the existing protective measures still effective?
The public is eager to understand this issue.
In this regard, Lin Bingliang, deputy director of the infection department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, emphasized in an interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com that the increased transmission of the virus after mutation is mainly due to the increased affinity of the virus and the receptor in the cell, which makes the virus easier to enter. In cells, this may make people more susceptible, but adequate protection can still resist the virus.
"Personal protection is definitely very important, and it is definitely useful. It will not be useless to wear a mask because it is highly infectious, but the risk of infection may be higher than that of ordinary viruses." Lin Bingliang explained.
Fu Hua, a professor at the School of Public Health of Fudan University, also emphasized in an interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com that at present, the prevention and control of respiratory diseases is still in accordance with the original methods. Wearing a mask and washing hands frequently are the same. "Even if the transmission power becomes stronger, But as long as everyone is well protected and wear masks and no droplets, it will not spread to other people."
Data map: nucleic acid detection sampling site.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Daozheng
Can the mutated virus be detected?
After the virus has mutated, can the existing detection methods still detect it?
In this regard, Maria van Kokhov said that most of the current detection tools target multiple targets on the genetic sequence, and virus variants will not affect such detection.
However, a small number of tests only target a single target on the viral gene sequence. Such tests may be affected by virus mutations. The effectiveness of all the testing tools used in the UK is now being studied.
There is no indication of the impact of this new coronavirus variant on treatment methods, and related research is ongoing.
Data map: The staff of Shanghai Pudong Airport are entering the arrival baggage carousel at T2 terminal, placing the baggage according to the place of departure.
Photo by Yin Liqin
Do external defense measures need to be enhanced?
Since the beginning of winter, domestically confirmed cases have also appeared in many provinces in China. In addition, Beijing has also seen imported confirmed cases after the centralized isolation has ended.
In the face of the current global epidemic situation, are China's existing prevention and control measures adequate?
Do centralized isolation measures need to be strengthened?
"The current measures are relatively comprehensive, and the main thing is to do everything in place to avoid loopholes. Although there are some cases in China that test positive after the incubation period of two weeks, this is still a minority." Fu Hua analyzed Called.
However, Fu Hua also emphasized that although domestic and foreign import prevention measures are now very strict, the epidemic is spreading around the world after all, and the flow of people and logistics in all aspects has not been interrupted, especially the cold chain transportation, the links involved are more complicated.
He said that the import pressure of foreign defense has always been there, and China must not relax its vigilance and must strictly prevent and control every step.
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