A new variant of the worrying coronavirus first detected in South Africa, known as B.1.351, has now spread to more than 30 countries. Experts are particularly alarmed by this variant because of its potential to “escape” the protection of current vaccines, which means that vaccines may not prevent people from being infected with COVID-19. Here’s what you need to know about the new variant.
What is it?
Variant B.1.351 is a coronavirus strain with eight distinct mutations in the virus’s spike protein, the structure that allows the virus to bind and infect human cells, according to a study by South African researchers published on the preprint website medRxiv in December 2020.
Where did it come from?
This variant was first detected in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, in early October 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It took off quickly and, in a few weeks, was the dominant variety in some parts of the country. Now, South African authorities are finding the variant in more than 90% of samples from patients with COVID-19 undergoing genetic sequencing, according to The Washington Post.
“It is incredible and frightening how quickly it has come to dominate,” Dr. Richard Lessells, an infectious disease specialist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, told the Post.
In addition, the variant has appeared in at least 32 other countries; and several countries, including the United States, have banned travel from South Africa, the Post reported.
Is it in the USA?
Yes, the first two cases of B.1.351 were reported in the United States on Thursday (January 28) in South Carolina, according to a statement from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The two cases do not appear to be connected, and neither case has a history of recent travel, which suggests that the variant is spreading across the community.
Is it more contagious?
This variant appears to spread more easily, with studies finding that it is about 50% more transmissible than previous strains of the coronavirus. This is worrying because the more people the virus infects, the greater the number of people who will be hospitalized or die from the disease.
Do vaccines work against the South African variant?
Even more alarming is the discovery that today’s COVID-19 vaccines may not work as well against this variant.
Johnson & Johnson released new data on its candidate vaccine COVID-19 on Friday (January 29), which showed that its vaccine was 72% effective in the US and only 57% in South Africa, where the new variant is dominant , Live Science previously reported.
In addition, another vaccine manufacturer, Novavax, released the first results on Thursday (January 28) showing that its vaccine was almost 85% effective against the so-called UK variant, but only 50% effective in preventing infection with the South African variant, Reported nature.
This diminished efficacy is likely to appear for other vaccines as well.
A recent study of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which analyzed blood samples from people who were vaccinated, found that the levels of antibodies produced in response to the South African variant were six times lower than the levels produced in response to other strains, according The scientist.
Despite this reduction, the vaccine should still offer some protection against the variant, company said in a statement.
“You could decrease the effectiveness of the vaccine-induced antibody a few times and still be within the protection range,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at a news conference on Wednesday (January 27).
Still, Moderna said that as a precaution, the company started working on a dose of “booster” vaccine against the South African variant, which could be added to the existing two-dose series of the vaccine.
How does it differ from the UK variant?
The UK coronavirus variant was first detected in the UK in September 2020, Live Science previously reported. Both South Africa and the United Kingdom variant appear to be more transmissible than other strains. And the variants share some of the same mutations in the spike protein.
But the South African variant has a mutation known as E484K, which is not found in the UK variant. This mutation may be responsible for the South African variant’s ability to partially evade vaccines. The mutation is believed to reduce the ability of certain antibodies to neutralize or inactivate the virus, according to Newsweek.
There is early evidence that the UK variant may be more deadly than other variants, Live Science previously reported; but so far, there is no evidence that the South African variant is more deadly.
Am I immune to the South African variant if I already have the coronavirus?
Maybe not. The E484K mutation may also reduce the ability of antibodies from natural COVID-19 infection to neutralize the virus.
In the Novavax study in South Africa, many people were reinfected with the South African variant after they had already contracted the virus at the beginning of the pandemic.
And in a study of 44 people in South Africa who were previously infected with COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic, more than 90% showed reduced immunity against the new variant when the researchers tested their blood, and almost half had no protection against it. , according to USA today.
Originally published on Live Science.