A video widely shared on social media in recent days claims that due to mutations in the novel coronavirus, “the vaccine cannot work.”
Vaccines not compromised
Fortunately, this is not true: Sars-CoV-2, like any RNA virus, is constantly mutated. To date, the variations observed have no noticeable consequences on its behavior. Nor on the effectiveness of a vaccine.
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When we talk about the mutations of a virus, the whole question is to know what consequences they could have. Are they important enough to significantly alter the behavior of the virus? do they make it become more or less virulent? More or less infectious? More or less contagious? More or less murderous?
To date, nothing is going one way rather than another, scientists agree. It is even considered extremely rare that such mutations substantially modify the infectivity or the lethality of any virus.
Already tens of thousands of mutations
And – for the moment – this also seems to be true for the Sars-Cov2 coronavirus: “All virologists tell us that the mutations are too weak for one of them to be considered as having a real effect on the virus” , summarized for example on September 30 Yves Van Laethem, specialist in infectious diseases and interfederal spokesperson for the fight against covid-19 in Belgium.
Tens of thousands of mutations have been observed, “without any consequences on the epidemic having been demonstrated,” Inserm also noted in October.
Could these variations however prevent a vaccine from being effective?
For now, it is no: the variations observed do not seem to translate into a significant modification of the virus.
At this time, there is no indication that these mutations may impact the ability of vaccines to recognize and protect against these (variants of) viruses.
Marie-Paule Kieny, virologist, on France Info
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“That does not mean that it will not happen, we can arrive at a time when the mutations are too important and it will be necessary to arrange, modify the ‘formula’ of the vaccine as we do every year or almost every year for the flu “she continued.
A single mutation on the Spike protein
Most covid vaccines play on the “Spike” protein, which they “present” to our immune system to make it react.
And yet, even if it were to mutate, “our antibodies will still be able to recognize the rest”, explains Étienne Simon-Lorière, from the Institut Pasteur, to Le Figaro.
Widespread vaccination could promote the emergence of a virus capable of bypassing this immunity … but even then, the researchers are optimistic about the ‘adaptation’ of the vaccine. they do almost every year with the flu shot.
So far, out of more than 20,000 mutations in the Sars-CoV-2 genome, only one (the D614G mutation, which also affects the Spike protein) seems to have had an effect: it would slightly increase the transmissibility of the virus. This mutation is now predominant in contaminations.
Beyond this effect, the increase in contamination recorded in Great Britain in recent weeks is also, without doubt, linked to the deconfinement that began … on December 4. In full explosion of the second wave, just before winter.
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