There is practically no spread of the British strain in Russia. Russian epidemiologists are monitoring this very carefully. Moreover, Russia became the first country in the world where a new test system has appeared, which quickly detects the presence of a mutant strain. The accuracy of the analysis is high, which avoids false positive results.
Briefly again why the type of coronavirus, first discovered in the UK, raises concerns. The fact is that 17 important changes have been found in the virus. The SARS-CoV-2 mutation has acquired a new spike protein. But in fact, the thorns of the virus are the key with which the pathogen reveals the protection of cells in the human body. Scientists at the University of Cambridge said this change makes the virus twice as infectious.
It is important to note that mutation is a natural property of any virus. The strain that was discovered in Wuhan at the end of 2019 is a thing of the past. So far, the most widespread strain in the world is the D-614-G strain that emerged last February. Another “popular” strain that tourists who have visited Spain have carried around Europe is labeled A-222-V.
“There are many strains. There are Brazilian, South African, and British. There are many strains that we simply do not know, in India or Africa. We just don’t get data from there. I’m sure the strains are even worse there. But on the other hand , we observe that plus or minus the same positions begin to mutate. And we understand where the virus is going. The very predictive bioinformatics that allows us to predict the possible directions of mutations and pathogenesis “, – commented Pavel Volchkov, virologist, head of the laboratory of genomic engineering MIPT.
So how dangerous are the new strains? Are the developed vaccines able to resist new forms of the virus?
Coronavirus mutations are not happening as quickly as you might think. For example, influenza pathogens are creating new versions much faster. As a result, flu vaccinations are constantly being updated. As for the coronavirus, scientists have time to track its changes. Vaccines are regularly tested on new strains.
Vaccination triggers the formation of not only protective immunoglobulins, but also T-lymphocytes. This type of white blood cell is able to find and destroy any infected cells.
Russia has completed testing the effectiveness of vaccines against the British strain. Both “Sputnik-V” and “EpiVacCorona” cope equally well with both the regular SARS-CoV-2 and its English version. People who are vaccinated with Russian vaccines can consider themselves protected from the new strain. The same study was carried out for those who had been ill. Blood cells after illness are also highly destructive for the British variant of the coronavirus. This means that the risk of re-infection is low.
“By reducing the circulation of the virus, we certainly reduce its potential for evolution, so there is every reason to move forward with the vaccines we have now, but there are also many reasons to watch for changes and think about whether we need adjust our efforts along the way, “said Adam Finn, immunologist and professor at the University of Bristol.
Imagine that one of the newer strains has nevertheless made a gap in the immune defense. The situation is unpleasant, but not critical. COVID-19 vaccines are upgradeable. It will take scientists about 3 months to update the vaccine. By comparison, the same flu vaccines are updated every year. So it is quite common practice.
Of course, all this does not mean that new mutations are not dangerous. It is imperative to keep the spread of the virus under control and promptly respond to new challenges.
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