B.1.1.529 African strain: 5 questions answered about the new Covid variant
London, Nov 26: What Is This New Covid-19 Variant In South Africa? South African scientists have identified a new version of the coronavirus this week that they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country's most populous province.
It's unclear from where the new variant actually arose, but it was first detected by scientists in South Africa and has also been seen in travelers to Hong Kong and Botswana. Health minister Joe Phaahla said the variant was linked to an "exponential rise" of cases in the last few days, although experts are still trying to determine if the new variant, named B.1.1.529 is actually responsible.
From just over 200 new confirmed cases per day in recent weeks, South Africa saw the number of new daily cases rocket to more than 1,200 on Wednesday and to 2,465 a day later. Struggling to explain the sudden rise in cases, scientists studied virus samples from the outbreak and discovered the new variant.
South African experts said there are no indications to date that the variant causes more severe or unusual disease and noted that as with other variants, some infected people don't have any symptoms.
Why
Are
Scientists
Worried
About
This
New
Variant?
It
appears
to
have
a
high
number
of
mutations
-
about
30
-
in
the
coronavirus' spike
protein,
which
could
affect
how
easily
it
spreads
to
people.
Sharon
Peacock,
who
has
led
genetic
sequencing
of
COVID-19
in
Britain
at
the
University
of
Cambridge,
said
the
data
so
far
suggest
the
new
variant
has
mutations
"consistent
with
enhanced
transmissibility,"
but
said
that
"the
significance
of
many
of
the
mutations
is
still
not
known."
She said it would take several weeks to do the necessary lab tests to determine if current coronavirus vaccines are still effective against the new variant. Peacock also said there was no indication that the variant causes more lethal disease.
Francois Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, said the sharp rate of COVID-19 infections in South Africa, and particularly in Gauteng province, was concerning. "The biggest risk is that (this variant) is better at re-infecting people as well as being more transmissible and virulent," he said in a statement. But Balloux said it was unclear at this stage whether this is because the virus is inherently more infectious.
He emphasized that while it was possible that the new variant is able to reinfect previously immunized people, "we cannot make any robust predictions based on its genetic make-up alone about its expected transmissibility or virulence."
How
Did
This
New
Variant
Arise?
The
coronavirus
mutates
as
it
spreads
and
many
new
variants,
including
those
with
worrying
genetic
changes,
often
just
die
out.
Scientists
monitor
COVID-19
sequences
for
mutations
that
could
make
the
disease
more
transmissible
or
deadly,
but
they
cannot
determine
that
simply
by
looking
at
the
virus.
They
must
compare
the
pattern
of
disease
in
outbreaks
to
the
genetic
sequences
and
sorting
out
whether
there
is
an
actual
connection
can
take
time.
Some scientists have speculated that the new variant arose in an immune-compromised patient because of the large number of mutations. Peacock said the variant "may have evolved in someone who was infected but could then not clear the virus, giving the virus the chance to genetically evolve," in a scenario similar to how experts think the alpha variant - which was first identified in England - also emerged.
Are
The
Travel
Restrictions
Being
Imposed
By
Some
Countries
Justified?
Maybe.
As
of
noon
Friday,
travelers
arriving
in
the
U.K.
from
South
Africa,
Namibia,
Botswana,
Lesotho,
Eswatini
and
Zimbabwe
will
have
to
self-isolate
for
10
days.
Given
the
recent
rapid
rise
in
COVID-19
in
South
Africa,
restricting
travel
from
the
region
is
"prudent,"
said
Neil
Ferguson,
an
infectious
diseases
expert
at
Imperial
College
London.
He said the new variant has an "unprecedented" number of mutations and said that compared to previous variants, the newly identified version in South Africa might more easily evade current vaccines. Balloux of University College London said that if the new variant turns out to be more infectious than delta, the new restrictions will have little impact but that they could still buy the U.K. some time to boost vaccination rates and roll out other possible interventions.
What
Happens
Next?
The
World
Health
Organization
has
convened
a
technical
group
of
experts
on
Friday
to
assess
the
South
Africa
data
and
to
decide
whether
the
new
variant
warrants
being
designated
a
variant
of
interest
or
a
variant
of
concern.
Variants
of
interest
-
which
currently
include
the
mu
and
lambda
variants
-
have
genetic
changes
known
to
affect
things
like
transmissibility
and
disease
severity
and
have
been
identified
to
cause
significant
clusters
in
multiple
countries.
Variants of concern - which include alpha, beta and delta - have shown they can spread more easily, cause more serious disease or make current tools like vaccines less effective. To date, the delta variant remains by far the most transmissible form of COVID; it accounts for more than 99 per cent of sequences shared with the world's biggest public database. (AP)