The strain first detected in England, which may be 30% more lethal than other variants, has spread to more than 50 countries.
The coronavirus variant first recorded in southeastern England is likely to “sweep the world” and become the most dominant global strain, said the head of the UK’s genetic surveillance program, as concerns about emerging mutations in the UK increase. virus.
Since it was detected in September in Kent, a county known as the “garden of England” and popular with travelers due to its proximity to London, variant B.1.1.7 has spread to more than 50 countries.
The tension caused enough concern to force a new national blockade in the UK and led to global panic.
Experts said it could be up to 70% more infectious and about 30% more lethal than other variants.
Having tore the UK apart and expanded outward, the Kent variant was now underway to “sweep the world, in all likelihood,” Sharon Peacock, director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium, told the BBC on Thursday.
She also warned that while COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be effective so far against variant B.1.1.7 and other strains of viruses present in the UK, other mutations can potentially harm vaccines.
“What is worrying about this is that the 1.1.7 variant that we have been circulating for a few weeks and months is starting to mutate again and get new mutations that can affect the way we deal with the virus in terms of immunity and vaccine effectiveness , ”Peacock said.
“It is worrying that 1.1.7, which is more transmissible, which swept the country, is now undergoing mutation to have this new mutation that could threaten vaccination.”
New ‘variant of concern’ detected in England
The new mutation to which Peacock refers, first identified in Bristol, south-west England, has been designated a “concern variant” by the UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group.
There are so far 21 cases of this variant, which has what is known as the E484K mutation. Scientists believe that the E484K mutation may help the coronavirus to avoid antibodies, potentially reducing the effectiveness of vaccines.
“You have to be realistic about the fact that this specific mutation has emerged in our type of community garden strain now, at least five times – five different times. And it will continue to appear, ”said Peacock.
“As soon as we get to the top [the virus] or it becomes virulent – causing disease – so we can stop worrying about it. But I think that, looking to the future, we will do that for years. We will still do that 10 years from now, in my opinion ”.
The mutation occurs in the virus’s spike protein and is the same change detected in other emerging strains detected in South Africa and Brazil – known to scientists as 20I / 501Y.V2 or B.1.351 and P.1 respectively.
Rory Challands of Al Jazeera, reporting from the capital London, said that Peacock’s warning was further evidence that the battle against COVID-19 is likely to be a “long-term project”.
“This does not mean that this will be an acute public health crisis for so long, because different strains of the coronavirus have different impacts,” he said.
“Not all of them are more lethal, and once you take care of the virus, they all recede like a public health crisis, but you need to stay on top of the new variants as they occur so that the vaccines you are using can continue to be as effective as possible ”.
The coronavirus has killed more than 2.3 million people and turned normal life upside down for billions since the pandemic outbreak in December 2019.
The UK recorded almost four million cases and the virus killed more than 115,000 people, one of the biggest deaths in the world.