Much remains to be understood about the new variants of coronavirus that are currently wreaking havoc across the globe, but scientists have recently questioned some of the most frightening aspects of mutations the virus. Until recently, the new mutations of the coronavirus were believed to be more potent (up to 70 percent higher in transmission), but not more lethal or dangerous. Now, the British government’s chief scientific adviser has said there is little evidence that the new breed first identified in the south-east of England has a higher risk of death than its original weight. Patrick Vallance said at a news conference that “there is evidence that those with the new variant are at greater risk”. He said the risk for a 60-year-old male appeared to be higher from about one death per 1,000 diseases to about 1.3 or 1.4 per 1,000. However, Vallance confirmed that “the evidence is not yet strong” and further research is needed.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, agreed. He said early evidence suggested the variation could be more lethal. Based on preliminary data from scientists at the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Risk Advisory Group (NERVTAG), Johnson acknowledged that the new variant was likely to be more lethal but stressed that the two vaccines administered in the UK – Pfizer / BioNTech and Oxford / AstraZeneca – are effective against all variants.
Maria Van Kerkhove, technical director of the World Health Organization on COVID-19, said studies were underway to look at the spread and severity of new viral changes. She said so far “they have not seen an increase in depth” but that more spread could lead to an “overweight health care system” and therefore more deaths. But Vallance said scientists are concerned that variables identified in Brazil and South Africa may be more stable on vaccines, adding that more research is needed. Britain has recorded 95,981 deaths among people who tested positive for the coronavirus, the highest number confirmed in Europe.
The UK is currently in an effort to halt the latest outbreak of the coronavirus outbreak. Pubs, restaurants, leisure centers and many shops are closed, and people have to stay mostly at home. The number of new infections has started to fall, but deaths remain high, with an average of more than 1,000 per day, and the number of hospitalized patients is 80 per cent higher than at the first peak of the pandemic in the spring.
Viruses circulate, and more strains are expected
It is normal for viruses to find small changes or mutations in their genetic alphabet as they reproduce. Onions that help the virus thrive give it a competitive advantage and thus accumulate other strains. In March, just a month or two after the coronavirus was discovered in China, a mutation called D614G appeared that made it more likely to spread. It soon became the strongest version in the world.
Now, after months of reasonable calm, “we’ve started to see an amazing evolution” of the virus, biologist Trevor Bedford of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle wrote on Twitter this week went. “Given that we have seen three different concerns since September, it looks like there is more to come.”
One was first recognized in the United Kingdom and quickly became dominant in parts of England. It has now been reported in at least 30 countries, including the United States. Shortly afterwards, South Africa and Brazil reported new changes.
The greatest risk of relapse
Some laboratory tests suggest that the variables identified in South Africa and Brazil may be as susceptible to antibody drugs or convalescent plasma, antibody-filled blood from COVID-19 survivors – which both help people fight off the virus.
Health officials are also concerned that if the virus changes enough, people may get COVID-19 a second time. Recurrence is very rare at the moment, but Brazil has already confirmed a case in someone with a new variant who was ill with a previous version several months earlier.
According to paper submitted Science magazine, the rise in cases in Manaus, Brazil, was an example. It had been estimated months earlier that three-quarters of city residents were infected with SARS-CoV-2, the pandemic coronavirus – more than enough, it seemed, to improve herd immunity. It was reported Science: “There may be potentially changing variables running around the human immune response. Such a “protective escape” could mean that more people with COVID-19 are still likely to be relapsed, and that, at some point, an update may be necessary. lack of proven vaccines. ”
-Application from organizations