The highly infectious strain, first detected in southeastern England last September, has spread to more than 80 countries.
A highly infectious strain of coronavirus first detected in southeastern England last September has now spread to more than 80 countries, and there are warnings that it “will sweep the world”.
Experts believe that variant B.1.1.7 may be between 30 and 70 percent more infectious and about 30 percent more lethal than other versions of the new circulating coronavirus.
B.1.1.7 is defined by 23 mutations of the original strain of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.
After being registered in Kent, the variant quickly became the dominant strain of all infections in the UK.
It is not yet known whether the variant really appeared in Kent, a county near London described as the “garden of England” because of its fruit-filled orchards and rolling countryside, or was simply detected there for the first time.
Scientists said the strain may have evolved in just one person infected with the new coronavirus for a period of time long enough to allow it to transform.
Now, B.1.1.7 is responsible for about 90 percent of all new COVID-19 infections registered in the country.
Its rapid spread in the United Kingdom fueled an increase in cases and deaths and, on January 4, forced a new national blockade.
The variant also spread outward and quickly.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 83 countries have reported cases of the strain.
It has been detected on all continents on Earth, except Antarctica.
The spread of B.1.1.7 increases fears about two other highly infectious strains in circulation – the so-called Brazilian and South African variants, known to scientists as 20I / 501Y.V2 or B.1.351 and P.1, respectively.
At the center of concerns is whether the vaccines currently in use will work against mutations.
The Brazilian and South African variants have the E484K mutation, which occurs in the virus’s spike protein.
The mutation is believed to help the virus escape the antibodies and pass through the body’s immune defenses. Scientists have warned that this could undermine the effectiveness of vaccines.
For its part, the United Kingdom is confident that vaccines in use in the country – from Oxford-AstraZeneca and another from Pfizer-BioNtech – are effective against B.1.1.7 and other variants.
But a new mutation in strain B.1.1.7 recently detected in the city of Bristol, in southwest England, could potentially damage the shots, Sharon Peacock, director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium, told the BBC.
So far, 21 cases of the Bristol variant have been recorded, which has the E484K mutation.
The new mutation has been designated as a “concern variant” by the UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group.
“It is worrying that 1.1.7, which is more transmissible, that swept the country, is now mutating to have this new mutation that could threaten vaccination,” said Peacock.