The mutated copies of "Corona" are more contagious, more resistant and cause for concern .. This is what we know so far!

With the emergence of mutated versions of the Corona virus, concern increases about transformations that have taken place into a highly specialized field, amid the acute health crisis caused by the Covid-19 epidemic.

In what comes with we know so far about these mutated copies.

How many mutated copies are there?

At the present time, there are three mutated copies that are of great concern, which appeared for the first time in England, South Africa and Japan (even if the infections were recorded in travelers from Brazil, what prompted the reference to the copy as "the Brazilian mutant").

In parallel, there is a second class of mutants that are monitored by the international scientific community because of their genetic characteristics that may be problematic, but their spread is still limited.

"The coming weeks and months will reveal to us whether they fall into the category of very worrying mutations that spread very quickly, or if they will remain mutants that spread without provoking much Fears ».

All these mutants are classified into families or "strains", and in light of the transformations they have undergone, they occupy a specific location in the family tree of the original SARS-Cove-2 virus.

The list has expanded in recent weeks.

For example, it detected a strain called "B1.525" in Scotland, Nigeria, France and Australia.

Other mutated versions have also been detected in California, Zambia and Uganda, as far as Finland.

What are the consequences?

The emergence of mutated copies is not at all surprising, as this is a natural development as the virus undergoes changes over time to ensure its continuation.

And the British health services say on their website, "More than 4,000 SARS-Cove-2 mutants have been identified worldwide."

American specialists, including the government expert, Anthony Fauci, point out in an article published Wednesday in the specialized journal of the American Medical Association that among these copies, "only a small percentage is a public health concern."

What is particularly fearful is the mutations these viruses carry.

The mutations that appeared in England, South Africa and Brazil share the same transformation known as "N501Y", which could increase their ability to transmit infection.

Also, the two mutated versions that were detected in South Africa and Brazil carry another mutation known as "E484Ki", which is believed to reduce acquired immunity either from a previous infection (which increases the possibility of infection again) or from the vaccine.

It is generally difficult for ordinary people to understand the evolution and characteristics of the mutants, especially since they are known by purely technical names that have not been standardized at the international level.

For example, the mutant that appeared in Britain is known as "501 Y.V1" or "VOC 202012/01" and it is a strain of B.1.1.7.

Scholars warn against using "British modified version" or "South African" phrases that may be offensive to the aforementioned country.

Most contagious?

"We are convinced that the mutated versions have a greater capacity to spread infection, at least the English version, and increasingly the South African version," said Etienne Simon Laurier.

However, at present, this is only based on epidemiological data, as researchers measure the speed at which mutated viruses spread and deduce from them the extent of their transmissibility.

This does not allow reaching a certain number, as results may change according to the restrictions imposed in the concerned regions.

To confirm this, the British authorities initially announced that the prevalence of the mutant that appeared in England is 50 to 70% greater, based on what was recorded locally.

But since there has not been a flurry of infections in other countries, these assertions must be amended.

Several teams of researchers around the world are working to analyze the biological characteristics of these mutated copies in the hope of finding out what makes them appear more contagious.

"There are hypotheses that need to be studied," said Olivier Schwartz, head of the Virology and Immunology Unit at the Pasteur Institute, who leads one of these teams.

"The viral charge may be greater, or the mutated virus may be able to penetrate cells more easily or multiply more quickly."

Researchers from Harvard University proposed another hypothesis, and considered that the infection caused by the mutated virus may last for a longer time, and thus the infected person remains contagious for a longer period of time than if he was infected with the common virus.

If confirmed, "it may require a longer isolation period than the currently recommended ten days," according to what the researchers wrote in a study published a short time ago.

But this kind of research takes time and it will take several weeks or even months to get definitive answers.

What is the effectiveness of vaccines?

"What can be concluded from the tests," says Etienne Simon-Laurier, "is that the English version is not a concern at all, while the South African version is a cause for concern."

Several laboratory studies concluded with one conclusion, which is that the mutated version that appeared in South Africa appears to impair the effectiveness of vaccines, especially because of the mutation known as E484Ki.

The last two studies were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, and were conducted by scientists from Pfizer-Bionic and Moderna, the two groups that made the two main vaccines used in the world.

The two studies show that the amount of protective antibodies that the body produces after being injected with one of the two vaccines is lower in relation to the mutated version that appeared in South Africa, compared to the mutated from England or the usual virus.

This suggests that protection is weaker.

Professor Schwartz's team investigated a similar study that showed that "it is much more difficult to prevent the mutated version that appeared in South Africa over time."

The same thing has been observed with other vaccines, especially the AstraZeneca vaccine, which South Africa changed its use for the same reason, and the Novavax and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

However, scientists warn against hasty conclusions.

Even if the vaccines are less effective on the mutated version from South Africa, this does not mean that they will not be effective at all.

This research focuses only on one aspect of the response after vaccination, which is antibody production.

"It does not evaluate other types of potential immunity, such as T and B lymphocytes," Professor Fauchi and his colleagues wrote in the article, which is known as cellular immunity.

What can we expect?

The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned that "mutated versions against which vaccines may be less effective (...) will likely continue to emerge."

Although health authorities around the world are calling to speed up vaccination campaigns as much as possible in a race with the mutated versions, they are asking drug groups to work on new generation vaccines that are adapted to fight new mutated copies.

Also, the European Union and the United States announced this week the establishment of programs aimed at strengthening the genetic sequencing processes necessary to follow the evolution of mutated copies and to monitor new copies as they emerge.

Meanwhile, scholars stress the necessity of respecting the prevention and social distancing measures that remain important, whether for the common Corona virus or for its mutated versions.

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