More ominous strains of COVID-19 found in other countries

By: Karen Omoregie

Reports of a “more ominous” strain of COVID-19 have emerged from Brazil, South Africa and other countries.

Alarming News

Despite talk over mutated strains of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, researchers reported that in the Amazon city of Manaus, Brazil, a disturbing new strain of the coronavirus was found in the midst of a devastating flood of new COVID-19 cases in the region. For the second time after the pandemic, the onslaught of diseases led to the deterioration of the local health care system. The city was struck painfully hard by the first wave in March, and some observers claimed it had achieved a degree of herd immunity by the fall.

Data so Far

The data and analysis so far has suggested that the new variant from Amazonas (now known as the ‘P.1 COVID’ variant) carries similar traits that makes the U.K. variant easier to transmit. Whereas, the South African mutant also carries mutations that are related to both transmissibility and human immune response avoidance capacity. There is no indication that more serious disease is caused by any of these three variants.

Where it is Now

In Brazil and in a few cases in Japan, the P.1 COVID variant was only found among people who had traveled to Manaus. As yet, there is no proof in any country other than Brazil of population dissemination of the variant. All told, it is probable, if not likely, that P.1 has already spread undetected beyond Brazil. Eventually, all the coronavirus strains that have been prevalent elsewhere in the world like P.1 have spread to other nations in the Amazon. While the strain has not been found in the U.K.

Vaccine Impact

It is still to be determined if these mutations will be resistant to the vaccines on the market. There is not a sufficient amount of evidence the vaccinations currently being carried out would not protect against the COVID-19 strain that has arisen in the Amazon region. Scientists tested the effectiveness of vaccines on COVID-19 variants that appeared in the U.K. South Africa and South Africa are sure to date that the vaccines protect against them. However, one day it is possible to develop a mutation that makes the vaccines less effective.

Sources:

• https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-ace2-receptor-how-is-it-connected-to-coronavirus-and-why-might-it-be-key-to-treating-covid-19-the-experts-explain-136928#:~:text=ACE2%20is%20a%20protein%20on%20the%20surface%20of%20many%20cell%20types.&text=Using%20the%20spike%2Dlike%20protein,virus%20that%20causes%20COVID%2D19.

• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-we-know-so-far-about-how-covid-affects-the-nervous-system/#:~:text=Many%20of%20the%20symptoms%20experienced,weeks%20to%20months%20after%20infection.