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Coronavirus in Poland. The British variant is already responsible for 60 percent. diseases in our country. However, there are regions where this percentage is 90%. We also have a South African variant. The third one considered to be the most infectious – the Brazilian one has not been found in Poland yet. Are these variants more lethal than basic? How effective are the available vaccines against them? Scientists explain doubts.
- So far, a great many variants of the coronavirus have been identified, three of them identified as alarming – British, South African and Brazilian
- The first of them is already starting to displace the basic COVID-19 strain in Poland
- The British variant is more transmissive by at least 30%, but when it comes to its higher mortality, in-depth research is needed – says Dr. Peter of Rome
- Roman, like prof. Włodzimierz Gut, emphasizes that the best way to minimize the risk of the virus is through vaccination and wearing masks
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– British variant B.1.1.7, South African B.1.351 and Brazilian P.1 SARS-CoV-2 are now considered to be the so-called variants of concern. There is an ongoing discussion whether some of the subsequent variants detected in the USA, e.g. Californian or New York, should also be included in this group – says Dr. Piotr Rzymski, a medical biologist from the Medical University of Poznań
– This term is used when a given version of the virus, accumulating certain mutations, may be more infectious, affect the clinical course of the infection, increase the risk of reinfection or suppress the effectiveness of the developed vaccines to some extent. If there is a suspicion that at least one of these conditions is met by a given variant, it gains an alarm status and is subject to intensive epidemiological, molecular and experimental research – says Dr. Piotr Rzymski, a medical biologist from the Medical University of Poznań.
According to the expert, the scientific world already has a considerable amount of data on the three variants mentioned.
– We know from epidemiological observations that the British variant is more transmissive, at least by about 30%. We also know that this infectivity is higher in him, incl. because it has the N501Y mutation in the gene encoding the spike protein, which allows this protein to more closely adhere to the receptor on the surface of human cells. This probably means that a lower infectious dose (fewer virus particles) is needed for infection to occur. This is true wherever the British variant appears – it spreads quickly and begins to dominate. The same is happening in Poland – explains Dr. Peter of Rome.
Mutation, variant, strain, variant of the coronavirus. Can these terms be used interchangeably? [WE EXPLAIN]
British variant and the risk of death
The biologist notes, however, that it is still uncertain whether and how the British variant affects the clinical course of the infection.
– Data on this subject are still ambiguous. A recent analysis in the British Medical Journal showed that infection with the British variant has the potential to be associated with a significantly higher risk of death compared to the earlier variants. However, it was found that this difference in mortality, amounting to 64%, does not appear until two weeks after the onset of the disease, i.e. earlier in the disease, for the first two weeks after the first symptoms of infection, there were no significant differences in this respect. This observation requires further in-depth research, e.g. towards determining the causes of higher mortality – says Dr. Peter of Rome.
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It is still uncertain whether the higher mortality, if indeed we are dealing with it, is due to e.g. the fact that the British variant multiplies faster and leads to a higher level of viremia, or maybe rather because it significantly increases the risk of incidents Thromboembolism, which is a very serious complication and, as you know, often occurs in the course of COVID-19. Perhaps, however, the reason for this is yet another.
– As the data on higher mortality caused by the British variant come only from observational studies, they should become the basis for conducting, inter alia, specially planned experimental studies that would confirm their results. These are tests in which animals susceptible to the coronavirus, e.g. ferrets, are infected with the British variant and earlier non-alert variants to see if there are indeed significant differences in mortality and what they are causing, including on the basis of histopathological and biochemical studies.
– On the basis of epidemiological observations alone, it is difficult to consider the obtained results regarding the differences in mortality, but also in infectivity as final and binding. The so-called variables could appear in these studies. confusing, not included in the study, which significantly influenced the final result. The results of similar observational studies from other countries are also needed to reach any definitive conclusion in this regard. We are waiting impatiently for their results – emphasizes the scientist.
British variant and vaccinations
Based on the current state of knowledge about the British variant, it is already known that it cannot be ignored, but scientists also have good news about it.
“Let’s not panic, but let each of us do whatever we can to prevent it from spreading.” We know from observations in Great Britain that the final solution, namely lockdown, reduces its transmissibility. Ultimately, we should defeat it anyway, because all COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the European Union remain highly effective against it. You just need to vaccinate an appropriate high level of the population – says Dr. Peter of Rome.
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— Practice shows that the speed of the spread of the coronavirus in a given region, regardless of its variant, still depends to the greatest extent on two things that depend on us, i.e. the so-called social mobility and adherence to the basic principles of anti-infectious prophylaxis (DDMW), in particular wearing masks. Thus, reports of a potential greater infectivity of one or another variant do not alter the defense against infection and the related general recommendations to the public. In fact, we ourselves have the greatest influence on the fact that some new variant imported to Poland begins to dominate in our country – adds prof. Włodzimierz Gut from the Department of Virology of the NIPH-NIH.
For the time being, in Poland it is difficult to precisely define the share of the British variant in the total number of infections, as the variant monitoring network is still being developed. However, everything indicates that it is already responsible for more than half of infections in our country.
– The South African variant was discovered in Poland in February this year. The Brazilian variant has not yet been identified with us, but it has reached Europe. The former is of concern, among others because it can to some extent counteract the effects of virus-neutralizing antibodies in both convalescents and vaccinated people. It was found, however, that vaccinated people, in whom the potency of neutralizing antibodies decreased to a much lesser extent, fared better in this respect. – informs dr hab. Peter of Rome.
The biologist explains that the South African variant, like the Brazilian variant, carries incl. E484K mutation, classified as the so-called Escape mutation, as it allows the virus to partially bypass the effect of neutralizing antibodies that attack its S protein, by which it infects human cells.
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As a result, these variants are easier to overcome the first line of defense of the virus by our immune system. It is worth remembering, however, that the activity of the specific immune system response is not only based on neutralizing antibodies. First, there are non-neutralizing antibodies which, while not preventing the virus from infecting the cell, play a role in mechanisms such as antibody dependent cytotoxicity and phagocytosis. Second, there is also a cellular response. Thus, even if the virus manages to bypass the action of antibodies and infect the cell, they will be identified and destroyed by the immune system, e.g. by a cytotoxic lymphocytey. There is no evidence that any alarm variant of the coronavirus can successfully escape this mechanism – assures dr hab. Peter of Rome.
Therefore, even if a vaccinated person or a convalescent becomes infected or reinfected with the South African variant, it is expected that the course of the infection will be mild and the virus survival time in the body will be shorter.
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– It is possible that such an infection will not be recorded at all, because it will resemble a cold. Therefore, none of the alarm variants does not abolish the sense of vaccination. On the contrary, it is currently the most effective tool for preventing severe disease, hospitalizations and deaths due to it.. This is the current goal of fighting the pandemic. It is doubtful, however, that humanity will be able to completely eradicate the coronavirus. But if it is to stay with us, let it be a clinically insignificant pathogen – summarizes Dr. Peter of Rome.
In this context, the scientist also draws attention to the preliminary results of research, which show that in the case of convalescents, a satisfactory level of protection against reinfection, also with the South African variant, can be obtained even when vaccinated with only one dose of the vaccine. Therefore, if the results of these observations prove to be confirmed, it will be of great practical importance for the fight against the pandemic and the management of vaccine resources.
— It is worth knowing that nearly 50 have already been counted around the world. mutation of the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. This is normal and expected development of events. Viruses just have to keep mutating so they can grow and spread. However, as long as these mutations do not fundamentally change the structure and mode of action of this virus, and the existing mutations have not somehow radically changed it, the virus in fact remains similar to the basic version all the time, thanks to which they are more or less effective all the time against these new ones variants of previously developed vaccines – adds prof. Włodzimierz Gut.
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The virologist also emphasizes that the virus outside the human body dies quickly if it is not in an environment with adequate humidity (i.e. it must be properly moistened to survive).
– Therefore, in practice, it is not so easy to get infected by touching only some objects or even while being near an infected person, if, of course, we use a physical barrier that stops the bioaerosol containing virus particles. Material and surgical masks quite effectively block the spread and penetration into the body of large and medium-sized aerosol droplets from the air. When it comes to the smallest droplets, the most effective in stopping them are masks with higher filtering parameters, i.e. FFP2 and FFP3 – says Prof. Włodzimierz Gut.
According to the virologist, on average for all variants of the coronavirus strain causing COVID-19 disease, the mortality rate among infected people oscillates around 3 percent.
Wiktor Szczepaniak (PAP)
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