Jakarta, IDN Times – Concerns about new variants of the Sars-CoV-2 virus entering Indonesia are starting to come true. Long before the discovery of a new variant that appeared in England, B117, there were already other variants from England that had entered Indonesia. This new corona mutation is called N439K.
Head of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Amin Soebandrio, said that the N439K variant had entered Indonesia since November 2020. At that time, the government had not yet tightened the arrival of Indonesian citizens and foreigners by requiring the return of the COVID-19 test once they arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
“(The new variant) has been found since November 2020. From the data of 537 isolates studied, there were 48 cases containing this mutation,” said Amin when contacted. IDN Times by phone on Saturday (13/3/2021).
Amin also admitted that Indonesia and the world at that time had not paid attention to the new variant of the N439K. The international community, said Amin, only paid attention after the new variant entered the journal. He just realized that it turned out that the N439K variant was important to pay attention to.
“During November, the news about this variant was not too excited,” he said again.
Have these 48 cases spread in the community or have they been prevented from spreading?
1. The Eijkman Institute is currently tracing the track records of patients who have the N439K variant
Amin explained that his party was currently tracing the track records of patients who had been exposed to COVID-19 and had the new variant N439K. “Whether the virus came from severe (symptomatic) patients, OTG patients (people without symptoms) or was traced from cases who traveled. We do not know yet. So, it cannot be concluded that 48 cases containing N439K could be associated with severe clinical conditions. , “said Amin.
He also said that he had not yet obtained complete data on whether this new variant had spread to the wider community. However, from the level of virulence, the ability of the new N439K variant is the same as other viruses such as variants B117 or D641G. “What distinguishes the new N439K variant is its stronger binding to the receptor and resistance to neutralizing antibodies,” he said.
Meanwhile, for the symptoms of the COVID-19 disease, according to Amin, both the B117 and N439K variants were no different.
Also Read: Biomolecular Expert: The Government Should Not Underestimate the New Corona B117 Variant
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2. It is feared that the emergence of a new variant of the N439K will interfere with the vaccination program
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Illustration of COVID-19 vaccination. BETWEEN PHOTOS / Jojon–
Amin did not deny that the emergence of a new variant of the N439K was feared that it could affect the ongoing vaccination program. Currently, the vaccination program under the CoronaVac brand is being provided to groups of elderly people and public servants.
The AstraZeneca brand vaccine which is part of the COVAX scheme has also arrived in Indonesia on March 8, 2021. The BPOM agency has also issued an emergency use permit (EUA) for the British-made vaccine.
“There is a concern like that (interfering with the vaccination program). However, we do not have enough evidence (to say so) and in international journals there is no direction or guideline to adapt the existing vaccines to these new variants,” said Amin.
He explained that with the entry of other new variants into Indonesia, the government will further tighten the border gate and carry out genome sequencing. “If a case of a new variant is found, of course there will be a trace (to close contact),” he said.
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3. The head of the IDI COVID-19 Task Force warned the public that the pandemic still exists in Indonesia
Illustration (BETWEEN PHOTOS / M Agung Rajasa)–
Previously, the head of the COVID-19 Task Force from the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), Zubairi Djoerban, said on his social media accounts, the spread of the N439K variant was not as fast as B117. However, he warned residents to be more vigilant and keep practicing 3M.
“Keep your distance, wear masks and avoid crowds especially when you are indoors. Don’t be bored to remind each other because the pandemic is not over yet,” Zubairi tweeted today.
He also mentioned that one of the highlighted points of the new N439K variant is that this mutation is more resistant to antibodies. It does not work when antibodies are injected.
“Whether it’s antibodies from the bodies of people who have been infected (COVID-19) or antibodies that are injected into our bodies,” he said.
In Uncle Sam’s country, he said, health experts are trying to anticipate this variant. Health authorities there issued the EUA for two types of monoclonal antibody drugs in the treatment of COVID-19. “However, the problem with N439K does not work with the drug intervention,” he said.
Also read: 1.2 Million Sinovac Vaccine Expires at the End of March, How come?
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