On Monday, UK Health Minister Matthew Hancock announced that a new variant of the coronavirus has been discovered in the south and east of England, which may be associated with the rapid spread of the disease in those places. What is known about this option, write The Guardian (1, 2, 3, 4) and BBC.
Highlights from Hancock’s speech in the House of Commons:
- a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 was detected in about 1,000 people in 60 regions of the country, mainly in the south of England. Preliminary analysis has shown that this option is spreading faster than others;
- similar variants have been encountered in recent months in other countries. WHO notified;
- so far, there is nothing to indicate that this variant causes more severe illness, and it is highly unlikely that the virus will bypass the immunity generated by vaccines.
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Viruses are constantly mutating. Most mutations have little or no effect on their properties, and some are harmful. But other changes can be useful for the virus. It is alarming that seven mutations in the spike protein have been found in the new variant of SARS-CoV-2. This protein gives the virus its characteristic shape, is needed to penetrate human cells – and it is with its help that the first Western vaccines (and the Russian “Sputnik V”) “teach” the human immune system.
Hypothetically, antibodies produced after vaccination may not adhere well to the altered virus protein. But the immune system makes different antibodies that attack from different directions, so the virus is unlikely to hide from everyone at once. And in which case the vaccines can be modified. True, vaccinations will put evolutionary pressure on the virus: in order to infect vaccinated people, the virus will need to change.
The surge in new cases may be caused not by mutations that made the virus more infectious, but by restrictive measures (somewhere they are stricter, somewhere they were introduced earlier), the density and structure of employment, and the economic well-being of the regions. How all these factors developed in one place or another is unknown. British biologists began to study the discovered variant of SARS-CoV-2.
What you can but don’t need to do during the holidays
In the UK, the restrictions on Christmas holidays (December 23-27) will be softened: residents of three apartments or houses will be able to gather under one roof. The Independent Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (iSAGE) believes that this decision should be reconsidered. Writes about it The BMJ.
ISAGE experts, who are preparing recommendations for government and residents, indicate that the increase in new cases is decreasing slowly, and in some parts of the country outbreaks are only increasing. If a lot of people take advantage of the relief, the likelihood is high that the third wave of a pandemic will begin in the UK and the health care system will not survive.
The British should think about meetings on the street, and the authorities – to organize outdoor events, experts say. It is also wise to subsidize heating costs so that rooms can be ventilated and kept warm. People should also be told the safety rules in case they decide to celebrate the holidays together. Finally, experts are calling for the vaccine.
A wild animal first found coronavirus
In Utah, they caught a wild mink and took a swab – the test showed that it was infected with SARS-CoV-2. Although now this is not the main concern of mankind, the case of the mink shows: in principle, the coronavirus can lurk in nature, and after years or decades it can again spread to people, changing (and simultaneously harming animals). Writes about it Vox.
Most likely, the mink got infected through sewage from a farm nearby, where these animals are bred for fur. No other infected animals have been found, but the surrounding area has not been checked, as have many other places around the world. Perhaps the coronavirus is already spreading in nature – we just don’t know about it.
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A suitable host will become a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 and then transmit the virus back to humans. While experts consider this unlikely, but the pandemic began due to an extremely rare event (it looks like SARS-CoV-2 came to us from bats, but it is unclear if there was an intermediate link; genetic similarity of the first samples of the virus suggests that the transition happened. perhaps just once).
One expert interviewed is studying white-legged hamsters. In laboratory conditions, these animals become infected with coronavirus and transmit it to relatives. They tolerate illness easily, and if many hamsters fall ill in nature, it will be difficult to notice.
White hamsters are often found in rural areas and live near humans. They are caught by cats, which are also susceptible to coronavirus, and hypothetically, the pet can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to humans. True, human infections from cats are unknown. Similarly, it is not known whether infected hamsters exist in nature and whether they transmit the virus to other species. But since such a chain of events cannot be completely ruled out, scientists need to keep an eye on these and other animals.
In the short term, vaccines should prevent animal-to-human transmission. But it is impossible to predict whether many will remain immune in 10-20 years and whether vaccination against COVID-19 will continue by then. Studying coronavirus in animals is thinking ahead.
The coronavirus also threatens the animals themselves. Bwindi National Park in Uganda is concerned that 460 mountain gorillas could fall ill – half of all remaining members of this species. Gorillas are similar to humans, which is why park workers take the danger seriously. You cannot put on a mask on a creature weighing one and a half centners, they live in groups and do not observe social distance, and you cannot put them on a ventilator.
In which case the animals will be isolated and shot at them with drugs from veterinary guns. Temperatures are measured for visitors to the park, they are required to wear masks, they must not approach gorillas closer than ten meters.
So far, the main concern is people: thousands of patients die every day. But perhaps more attention should be paid to the animals further. The coronavirus came to us from nature. This is not the last such case, so it is our duty to future generations not to lose our vigilance.
Prepared Marat Kuzaev
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