Britain put it under investigation .. This is what we know about the new sub-strain of Corona Delta

LONDON -

European concern is growing due to the announcement of the spread of a new sub-strain of the Corona virus, of the mutated Delta and called "AY.4.2" code, which more than one European country announced its discovery, led by Britain, which put this sub-strain under monitoring. and monitoring.

This strain prompted a country like Morocco to announce the suspension of its flights with all of Britain, Germany and the Netherlands, pending the extent of the danger of this strain, and the speed of its spread.

Al Jazeera Net has asked Dr. Mays Al-Absi a set of questions, the most important of which are: Why is it causing concern?

The following is a comprehensive collection of information about this new strain.

Where did it appear?

Three sub-strains of the delta mutant appeared, one in Vietnam, and the rest in the United States, Denmark and Britain, and this strain appeared in the spring in the United Kingdom, but the incidence of it was low.

At the present time, the rate of infection with it has risen to 6% of the total number of injuries, which is why the British health authorities decided to put it under monitoring and investigation.

Why Britain?

The main reason why Britain, Denmark and the United States have the best laboratories and medical centers to track viruses in the world, for example, Britain's laboratories revealed more than half of the mutations known to the Corona virus, and therefore it is possible that this strain is present in other countries and has not been detected.

Specifications of this breed

The laboratory study comparing Delta with the mutant "AY 4.2" and "Alpha" found that this mutant does not differ much from Delta except for minor differences in the spinal protein, that is, it enters lung cells and cells derived from the digestive system, quickly and effectively, and its ability to bind to cells High, in addition to low effectiveness of antibodies in binding to the new strain.

Are you considered more immune to antibodies?

There are studies that have been completed on antibodies that were taken from people who received vaccination or were infected with the “alpha” mutant, and they show that its effectiveness is partially low, but it remains much higher than the antibodies that were taken from people who were infected with the “beta” mutant that appeared in South Africa, which means The latter is the worst in terms of its ability to resist vaccines.

monoclonal antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies, which are given to the patient with Covid during the early stages, reduce the length of stay in the hospital significantly, but research has shown that a type of these antibodies is ineffective with the “delta” mutant, and with the emergence of the delta branch, it appeared that there are two types of these bodies are now ineffective. Effective with this new branch.

more famous

3 studies in Canada, Denmark and Britain, say that the "delta" mutation increases the rate of hospitalization at least twice, and there are some researchers who suggest that this branch is more rapid in spreading, but so far these are only guesses and not linked to clinical tests.

Reasons for the emergence of subspecies

This is a normal behavior of the virus, but now there is more speed and accuracy in the matter of investigation and tracking of all developments of the virus, after global laboratories have sufficient experience to understand the virus, and for Delta, it has developed in the bodies of patients who were suffering from immunosuppression and were treated in hospitals, in addition to lifting restrictions on distance. Britain and the return of life to normal.

But the hypothesis that the vaccine is the cause must be excluded, meaning that the virus is trying to find new ways to resist vaccines, because this is an unscientific hypothesis so far.

Are they more resistant to vaccines?

The behavior of the delta sub-strain in resistance to the vaccine, such as the behavior of "delta", if a person took two doses of two different vaccines, for example Pfizer and AstraZeneca, the effectiveness is more compared to those who received two doses of the same vaccine, as the effectiveness of the antibodies that Produced by these vaccines against this branch.

Is it the reason for the return of the increase in injuries?

There are many reasons for the high number of injuries, including lifting social distancing measures, not committing to wearing masks, and returning to schools.

Over time, the effectiveness of vaccines in protecting against Covid symptoms declines, and there is a possibility that this strain may have played a role in increasing infections, but this possibility cannot be confirmed until the final evaluation of the monitoring process is issued.

Will it lead to a new closure?

The British government announced that it expected the injuries to rise to about 100,000 per day, but at the same time, it confirmed that it would not return to the state of complete or partial closure.

On the other hand, the scientific community is now calling on the government to implement the alternative plan that it has developed in the event of an increase in injuries, which is the return of social distancing, the obligatory wearing of masks, and the return of work from home for those who can.