The world is now facing 3 new mutated strains of the emerging corona virus that causes "Covid-19", in England, South Africa and Brazil, so why do you terrify the world?
In this report, we learn about the meaning of mutants, and how they differ from mutation, then we learn about each of the three mutated strains, and the risks they pose, and at the end of the report we bring you good news.
First: What is the difference between mutation and mutation?
A mutation is a change in the arrangement of the genetic material in the virus, and some of these mutations may not leave a trace in the virus, but some of them may affect its ability to transmit and infection.
A variant - also known as a mutated strain - is a version of the virus that includes a group of mutations, which means that each mutated strain includes a group of mutations.
We now turn to the new mutated strains
British Mutant Dynasty
Name: “B.1.1.7” (B.1.1.7)
The most important mutations it contains:
N501Y: This mutation makes the virus more prevalent, according to a report in the French newspaper Le Figaro, by writers Cyril Vanlerberg, Marc Scherky, Tristan V and Vanson Bordenav.
"70del-69" (69-70del)
P681H
South African mutant strain
Known by more than one name: "B.1.351" (B.1.351), "V2".
501" (501.V2)
The most important mutations it contains:
N501Y
K417N (K417N)
"E484K" (E484K): According to the Le Figaro report, this mutation is of great concern because it has resistance properties to the most effective antibodies secreted by the bodies of patients recovering from "Covid-19".
Scientists have warned that the strain discovered in South Africa may be able to infiltrate parts of the immune system into about half of people who were infected with different strains earlier, according to the German news agency.
The British newspaper "Daily Mail" quoted researchers as saying that it appears that the mutation in a specific part of the outer spinal protein of the virus gives it the ability to "escape" from the antibodies.
South African academics concluded that 48% of blood samples from people previously infected with the Coronavirus did not show an immune reaction to the new strain, and one of the researchers said, "We clearly have a problem."
The lead researcher based on the study, Penny Moore, said that people who had strong symptoms of the Corona virus in the first infection and had a stronger immune reaction, were less likely to be infected again.
The study indicated that this means that people who were infected with the Corona virus 3 months ago or more may not have complete natural immunity if they contract the latest strain of the virus.
Brazilian mutant strain
Name: "B.1.1.248" (B.1.1.248)
The most important mutations it contains:
N501Y
E484K
According to Le Figaro's report, the discovery of the third mutation in Brazil caused a greater commotion, because it carries the characteristics of two mutations, and it has caused a new wave of infection in the city of Manaus, which was greatly affected by the first wave, and scientists believed that its residents were close to acquiring collective immunity.
According to the authors of the report, this strain, which was discovered in Brazil, is the most contagious and resistant to acquired immunity after the first wave.
Why do these mutations make the virus more contagious?
The speed with which the new strain has spread in the UK indicates that it is 50% to 70% more contagious than the original virus.
The biological causes were not clear, but suspicions centered on the mutation, "N501 Y", which is a common denominator with the strains of South Africa and Brazil.
It seems that this mutation changes the shape of the spines, that is, the bumps that fill the surface of the virus. This mutation causes a change in the spine of the virus (a protein bump that allows it to enter cells).
It is suspected that they make these mutated copies of the virus more infectious because they are located at the site of binding of the viral receptor to enter the cell, increasing its ability (the virus) to bind to the receptor in the target cell.
The result is that it takes less virus to infect someone.
Where did the spread of new strains reach?
According to the World Health Organization, today, Wednesday, the mutated British version of the Corona virus has been detected in at least 60 countries and regions so far.
The mutated version of the virus that was monitored in Britain, which is more contagious than the original SARS-Cove-2 virus and worries many countries, spread to only 50 countries on January 12.
The organization said, in its weekly bulletin on the situation of the epidemic, that the second mutated version that appeared for the first time in South Africa and is believed to be more contagious than the British version, but it spreads more slowly, has been monitored for its part in 23 countries and regions to date, an increase of 3 over the number recorded. On January 12th.
very fast development
The new strain discovered in England develops with a very fast mechanism, and writer Vincent Bordonav states in the report published by the French newspaper Le Figaro that in January the epidemiological situation - in France - is still very fragile.
The number of new daily infections is about 20,000, while the number of cases residing in the hospital and in intensive care has increased for about 10 days.
The basic reproduction number is estimated at 1.19, according to the National Agency for Public Health, which means that the epidemic is developing.
The increase is less strong than that experienced by France last November, and it is still too early to determine the effects of the curfew starting at 6 pm, but the expectations of epidemiologists are not very encouraging.
The basic reproduction number indicates the average number of people an infected person is expected to transmit the disease to, and scientists use it to predict how and how quickly a disease will spread, and helps set policies on how to contain an outbreak.
"Had there been no threat from new virus strains, the situation would have stabilized in the next few weeks," says Vittoria Colisa, director of research at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research who specializes in modeling infectious diseases.
Are masks effective with new strains of corona?
The French Supreme Council of Health has recommended avoiding the use of some low-quality cloth face masks, as they are less effective in preventing infection with the Corona virus.
In a report, the French newspaper "Le Figaro" quoted an official in the Supreme Council of Public Health, that in the face of the new, fast-spreading strain of the Corona virus, which first appeared in Britain, the Council recommends avoiding the use of some "less filtered" cloth masks.
Didier Lopeltier, head of the working group against "Covid-19" of the Supreme Council of Health, said, "On the occasion of the spread of some new strains of the Corona virus that are more contagious than the previous ones in Europe, and in light of the fact that the methods of transmission have not changed, the question that arises here revolves around: The category of masks that can be proposed to the general public.
He added that the working group of the council's advisory body developed a number of new recommendations at the end of the week to be presented to the Ministry of Health.
According to the authority, it is better to wear reusable first-class cloth face masks, instead of second-class low-filtering masks or hand-made masks, in order to reduce the spread of infection.
According to the standards adopted by the "French Association for Standardization" (Afnor), masks of the first category filter 90% of particles, while the percentage drops to 70% when using masks of the second category.
Lobeltier stresses that the first-class fabric masks approved by the General Administration of the Armed Forces are as effective as surgical masks.
With regard to recommendations on the use of high-quality masks, the working group of the Supreme Council of Health also stresses that the safety distance to prevent transmission of infection is two meters, not one meter.
In this context, Lopeltier explains, "Due to the December notices related to shops or the holiday season, we have already moved to adopting a social distance of at least two meters. The new data may be an opportunity to formalize this policy. But the Ministry of Health Two options remain, either to follow the recommendations of the Supreme Council of Health or to ignore them. In general, these scientific opinions aim to guide decision-makers to take appropriate health policies."
good news
1- Salem Abdul-Karim, who is co-chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on “Covid-19” disease in South Africa, said that the data showed that it is not likely that the new strain - South Africa - will cause the patient to be hospitalized or die, according to what The news agency "Bloomberg" (Bloomberg) reported on Tuesday, and the German news agency.
2- The results of laboratory tests, today, Wednesday, showed that the “Covid-19” vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech will likely protect against the most contagious strain of the Corona virus, which was discovered in Britain and spread around the world.
The promising results are based on the analysis of blood samples of participants in the experiments and an extensive analysis compared to the analyzes published by the American company Pfizer last week.
And last week, Pfizer said that a similar laboratory study showed that the vaccine is effective against one basic mutation called "N501 Y", which was detected in the two new strains discovered in Britain and South Africa.
3- Nothing indicates that this mutation is enough to make the mutants resistant to current vaccines, scientists say, according to a report in Deutsche Welle.
In fact, even if it turns out that antibodies do not recognize this mutation well, they will be able to target other components in the mutated viruses, in principle, as Vincent Ennov of the Pasteur Institute in Paris explained that “even if its ability declines, it will still be able to neutralize the virus.” ".
"I don't think this mutation alone is problematic for vaccines," said immunologist Rino Rapoli, researcher and scientific director of the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.
Raboli participated in the preparation of a study released on December 28, the goal of which was to monitor the emergence of a mutated virus in the laboratory, and concluded that "we must develop vaccines and antibodies capable of controlling the emerging mutant."
But this mutation “could be the beginning of problems” for vaccines, according to Professor Gupta, who said that “at this stage, all vaccines are supposed to be effective, but what worries us is the possibility of future mutations” added to those that we are already monitoring, calling for “vaccination.” as quickly as possible everywhere in the world.