The threat from South Africa has put vaccine manufacturers at the forefront. Scientists are trying to find out as much as possible – as quickly as possible.
Last week, on November 24, the news spread that a new variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 had been seized in South Africa. The World Health Organization informed about it. Shortly afterwards assigned designation B.1.1.529 and after only two days it was officially named as the variant “omicron” (omicron).
The first known sample of this variant dates back to November 9, and scientists were particularly impressed by its rate of spread and the large number of mutations.
The spike protein alone, which is responsible for the penetration of the virus particle into the cell and is targeted at most vaccines, contains more than 30 altered moieties. Many of them are also present in alpha and delta variants, and are considered to be the cause of its higher infectivity.
The researchers are concerned and will investigate how the existing vaccines are effective against the virus in the near future. We therefore provide a brief overview of what we know about omikron so far and what we still need to find out.
It spreads at light speed
Of particular concern is the sharp rise in cases in South Africa and the rate at which the option is expanding into Europe and Asia.
Although the countries closed their borders very quickly and restricted incoming flights, a new variant appeared in Belgium on 22 November.
He arrived in the neighboring Czech Republic 5 days later, where he was captured in Liberec, informed news server Aktuality.sk.
The graph compares the onset of beta, delta and omicron variants. Specifically, it shows their proportion among all sequenced samples at a given time, specifically since the individual variants exceeded the limit of 1% of the sequenced samples (indicated in the graph as day zero). The onset of the omicron variant is significantly faster than in the dreaded delta.
Source: Financial Times / Gisaid, South African National Health Laboratory Service
Will vaccination save us?
In the Republic of South Africa, the revaccination of the population reaches a weak 40%. In the age category of 20 – 40 years it is even significantly lower. This is one of the reasons why scientists are not yet able to assess the effectiveness of vaccines against the new variant. However, most patients were not vaccinated or vaccinated with only the first dose. The number of young patients with a moderate to severe course also increased significantly.
Researchers’ priority will be to understand the new option as soon as possible and to adapt the recommended measures accordingly. We have no idea yet whether it will cause a more aggressive disease than the previous variants. Another subject of research will be its infectivity, mortality, the possibility of re-infection or the ability to escape antibodies (after vaccination or overcoming the disease).
Moderna has announced that it will immediately start working on a booster dose of its vaccine against the new variant. BioNTech has announced that it can modify its own vaccine within 100 days if necessary, but the problem is the subsequent need to perform new clinical trials. It plans to find out if the current Comirnaty vaccine is effective against the variant within two weeks, informed British daily The Guardian.
The new variant is already being explored by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, states American station CNBC. The advantage of the new generation of vaccines based on the mRNA principle is the possibility of their rapid modification.
So what do we know?
The genetic profile of the omicron variant is unique and different from previously known ones. It will probably form a whole new line, writes Washington Post.
Some experts are concerned that the new variant will be more infectious and better at overcoming the immune system, follows from the report of the scientific journal Nature. Vaccine efficacy may also be reduced.
According to previous findings, the diagnosis of omicron by PCR tests should be easier. Laboratories should identify the virus using the so-called discriminatory PCR method, which does not require sequencing the entire virus genome.
However, it is still too early to formulate any conclusions. Most of the time, it is more of an evidence that is not substantiated. The research of the new variant continues intensively and with the growing number of cases we will have more accurate information.
Are vaccinations responsible for mutations?
The answer is simple – no. The more the virus replicates, the more opportunities it has to mutate, recalls British BBC. Vaccination reduces infectivity, viral load and the chance of becoming infected. This reduces the occurrence of mutations. In the unvaccinated population, the virus replicates more often – there are more opportunities for errors, ie mutations.
Is it time to be scared?
The new option may be slightly worrying, but experts say there is no reason to panic. It is important to limit travel to the necessary journeys, to behave responsibly and to be vaccinated as soon as possible. Omicron vaccines are not expected to work at all.
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