Credit: New Jersey National Guard via Flickr
What happens next with the COVID-19 pandemic is still a wait and see situation, but University of Minnesota infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Osterholm believes the new strain that led to a new round of rigid blocks in the UK is a harbinger of things to come in America.
“What we are seeing now in England, I think will be a harbinger of things to come,” said Osterholm, noting in his weekly podcast that the virus has spread to at least 33 countries, including the United States “In terms of where is going, I think it is going to spread around the world and we can wait to see what’s happening in England happening in many other places. ”
There are two confirmed new variants of the coronavirus and none have been confirmed in Minnesota, although Governor Tim Walz said on Wednesday that “he is probably here”.
“We are looking for this variant, we have the ability to do so in our public health lab,” said Jan Malcolm, commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Health. “We are testing this continuously.”
The one found in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world, including some states in the USA, is known as B117. Another variant discovered initially in South Africa is known as B1351. What is extremely important is that the Centers for Disease Control have so far found no evidence to suggest that the COVID-19 vaccines do not work against mutations.
And according to Reuters, Pfizer has been conducting tests to see if its vaccine works against the mutations and announced late Thursday that its vaccine appears to be effective against these two strains of the virus, although its study has not yet been reviewed. in pairs.
Osterholm recorded his last podcast before that announcement, but it would be good news, as the mutation in South Africa in particular worried him, after possibilities arose that she could escape the vaccines made so far.
The CDC says that mutating the virus to a degree that makes vaccines less effective would be the worst case scenario, but “there is no evidence that this is happening, and most experts believe that escape mutants are unlikely to emerge due to to the nature of the virus. “
Vaccine manufacturers said they would be able to adjust vaccines to fight the mutations, although it potentially took at least six weeks to do so.
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However, coronavirus mutations are believed to be more contagious, while the vaccination process is just beginning in the US
In Britain, hospitalizations have skyrocketed, raising fears that more cases in America could lead to more hospitalizations and deaths at a time when the country is already breaking daily records.
“The first indicators show that this variant, while no longer deadly in terms of the fatality rate, appears to be about 50-70% more contagious, which means it takes less, is much faster and spreads very quickly,” Walz said Wednesday.
Osterholm expects more variants to emerge over time, saying that “I would not be surprised if we had an American variant found tomorrow”.
“We just need to pray at this point that vaccine-induced immunity and, to that degree, immunity to previous illnesses, will provide protection against these particular strains,” said Osterholm.