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About 20 states across the country have detected the most transmissible variant B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 to date. Given the unknowns of the emerging situation, experts from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) addressed the vaccine’s effectiveness, how well equipped the United States is to track new mutations, and shared its impressions of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 executive orders .
Dr. Mirella Salvatore
One of the main concerns remains the ability of COVID-19 vaccines to work on new strains. “All of our vaccines target the spike protein and try to induce neutralizing antibodies that bind to that protein,” said Mirella Salvatore, MD, assistant professor of medicine and population science at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, during a news conference. IDSA press. On thursday.
The B.1.1.7 mutation occurs in the “very important” spike protein, a component of the SARS-CoV-2 virus needed for binding, which allows the virus to enter cells, added Salvatore, a colleague at IDSA.
The evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 should be able to produce one or two mutations per month. However, variant B.1.1.7 surprised researchers in the UK when they found that the strain had 17 mutations, said Salvatore.
It is not yet known why this specific strain is more transmissible, but Salvatore speculated that the mutation gives the virus an advantage and increases binding, allowing it to enter cells more easily. She added that the mutations may have arisen among immunocompromised people infected with SARS-CoV-2, but “this is only a hypothesis”.
Dr. Kathryn Edwards
On a positive note, Kathryn M. Edwards, MD, another member of IDSA, explained in the briefing that existing vaccines target more than one location on the virus’s peak protein. Therefore, “if there is a mutation that alters a structure of the peak protein, there will be other areas where binding can occur.”
This polyclonal response “is because the vaccine may still be effective against this virus,” added Edwards, scientific director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program and professor of pediatrics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.
Salvatore emphasized that although the new variant is more transmissible, it does not appear to be more lethal. “This can affect overall mortality, but not for the individual who gets the infection.”
Stay one step ahead
When asked about the guarantee that the COVID-19 vaccines will work against emerging variants, Edwards said: “We may have to change the vaccine to be more responsive to new variants, but at this point it does not seem to be the case.”
If vaccines need updating, mRNA vaccines have an advantage – researchers can quickly review them. “All you have to do is put all the small nucleotides together,” said Edwards.
“Several of us are studying how this is going to work and we are looking at the flu,” she added. Edwards made an analogy for choosing – and sometimes updating – strains of influenza each year for the annual flu vaccine. With adequate funding, the same system could be replicated to deal with any evolving changes in SARS-CoV-2, she said.
Regarding the financing, Salvatore said that more money will be needed to optimize the surveillance system for emerging strains in the United States.
“We actually have this system – there is a wonderful network that sequences strains of influenza,” she said. “The structure exists, we just need the financing”.
“The CDC is equipping the system for more viruses to be sequenced,” said Edwards.
Both experts praised the CDC for its website with updated surveillance information on emerging strains of SARS-CoV-2.
Biden’s support for science
A reporter asked each infectious disease specialist to share his impressions of Biden’s recently issued COVID-19 executive orders.
“The biggest lesson is the role of science and the lessons we learn from masks, hand washing and detachment,” said Edwards. “We need to follow the advice …[especially] with a variant that is more contagious.
“It is encouraging that science is heard – that is the general message,” she added.
Salvatore agreed, saying the orders give “the feeling that we can now act on science”.
“We have a lot of articles that show the effectiveness of masking,” for example, she said. Salvatore acknowledged that there are “many contrasting ideas about masking” in the United States, but stressed its importance.
“We must follow measures that we know will work,” she said.
Both experts said more research is needed to stay ahead of this evolving landscape. “We still need a lot of basic science showing how this virus replicates in the cell,” said Salvatore. “We really need to characterize all of these mutations and their functions.”
“We need to worry, do follow-up studies,” she added, “but we don’t need to panic.”
This article was based on a media report by the Infectious Diseases Society of America on January 21, 2021. Salvatore revealed that she is a local PI in a study by the Verily life sciences LLC / Brin Foundation on COVID- Serious Outcome Predictors. 19 (PRESCO) and PI for a study initiated by the researcher sponsored by Genentech in combination therapy in influenza. Edwards released donations from NIH and CDC; consulting for Bionet and IBM; and be a member of Sanofi’s data monitoring and security committees, X-4 Pharma, Seqirus, Moderna, Pfizer and Merck.
Damian McNamara is a team journalist who lives in Miami. It covers a wide range of medical specialties, including infectious diseases, gastroenterology and intensive care. Follow Damian on Twitter: @MedReporter.
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