It is the most imaginable 2020 – a mutant attack in the run-up to Christmas.
As the long-awaited coronavirus vaccines have arrived, bringing hope for the end of the global pandemic, a new, more contagious mutation in COVID-19 has begun to become “out of control” in much of the UK – with traces already found in several other countries. . .
A few days after the detection, the British Prime Minister was forced to effectively cancel Christmas, announcing a strict blockade in London and the surrounding areas.
It was not long before several other countries rushed to close their borders to Britain.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo acknowledged that fears about the mutant strain crossing the Atlantic Ocean keep him standing at night.
“Right now, this UK variant is boarding a plane and flying to JFK,” Cuomo warned on Sunday of the lack of controls on flights in the UK. “Literally six flights a day. And all you need is one person. “
But amid all fear and uncertainty, The Post has revealed what we know about the new coronavirus strain.
What is the new strain of COVID-19 and where did it come from?
The variant – captivatingly named SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 – was first detected after an unexpected increase in COVID-19 cases in the UK in early December.
It was soon linked to more than 1,000 new infections in the wider London area, while UK Health Minister Matt Hancock blamed it for “very high exponential increases” in cases.
Scientists immediately worried that the new strain could be more contagious, as its 17 mutations include changes in the “peak” protein – the part of the virus that makes it infectious.
These fears were realized on December 19, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered an unexpected last-minute blockade – revealing that the new variant seems to be at least 70% more transmissible.
Scientists have not yet confirmed exactly where – or how – it came from, with traces back suggesting it has been undetected since September. However, it is believed to have evolved in the UK.
“There is no evidence to suggest that it was imported from abroad, so it is likely to have evolved in the UK,” Nick Loman, a professor of microbial genomics at the University of Birmingham, said in a briefing last week, according to the British Medical Journal .
Nine cases of the same variant have been reported in Denmark, while one case was found in Australia and another in the Netherlands, Catherine Smallwood, Europe’s emergency officer for the World Health Organization (WHO), told the BBC.
Several other countries have also reported confirmed variants that “carry some of the genetic changes seen in the UK,” Smallwood added, with a similar mutation blamed for a increasing the number of cases in South Africa.
Is COVID vaccine effective against the new strain?
As both the mutation and the launch of vaccinations are such recent developments, it is too early to know whether the shootings will be able to stop the new mutation.
Vivek Murthy, President-elect Joe Biden’s general surgeon candidate, Vivek Murthy told NBC’s Meet the Press on Dec. 20 that “there is no reason to believe that the vaccines that have been developed will not be effective against the virus.”
British leaders shared the same message.
However, the chief scientific adviser for the US government’s vaccine distribution effort, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, acknowledged that the possibility of new strains being resistant is not “non-existent.”
One concern for scientists is that there are so many changes in this mutation – 17 – including the change in the proteins on its surface that would help it get rid of drugs or the immune system.
And “emerging evidence” suggests it may begin to happen with the new coronavirus, wrote Trevor Bedford, a biologist and genetics expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, on Twitter.
Even if the vaccine works, such constant changes suggest that vaccines should be updated “With some regularity” he warned.
How is the UK treating the new COVID strain?
The UK quickly alerted the WHO and also immediately called a specialized group of scientists from the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium to investigate.
But just six days before Christmas, Johnson did the unimaginable – and effectively canceled the holiday with a severe, top-level lockout for a huge chunk of England.
Level 4 restrictions have ordered the closure of non-essential shops, hairdressers and entertainment venues at midnight on December 19 – while people have been told to stay home and households are prohibited from mixing.
Johnson’s announcement, which came just days after saying Christmas restrictions would be “sincerely inhumane,” showed how serious the threat was.
It also caused a wild panic for locals to try to flee before the midnight deadline – and a host of nations announcing travel bans and blocked borders.
On December 21, Johnson convened an emergency meeting of his ministers amid warnings that the blockades could even be extended.
He also negotiated with nations that closed borders to ensure the British could import food for the holidays.
Should we be concerned about the new COVID mutation?
Cuomo did not hide his concern for New Yorkers.
“Right now, this UK variant is boarding a plane and flying to JFK,” the governor said on December 20, a day after the UK announced its ultra-strict blockade.
“Literally six flights a day. And all you need is one person, “he said.
“For me, this is reprehensible, because it happened in the spring,” the governor continued, blaming the untamed early spread of the New York contagion to travelers in Europe, rather than directly from the original epicenter in Wuhan, China.
Markets also appeared worried, with US stocks falling on December 20 due to fears.
However, the US has so far not recommended travel restrictions in the UK.
“I think we are waiting for CDC recommendations. So last night, talking to Dr. (Robert) Redfield, there was no recommendation for that, “US Deputy Secretary of Health Brett Giroir told CNN on Monday.
But Giroir added that “every hour we receive more information” and that “anything is possible.”
Meanwhile, nominated for Surgeon General Murthy also pointed out that “we still have no evidence that this is a more deadly strain of the virus” – or one that would resist vaccines.
However, these are the first days and, at least, it reaffirms the need for vigilance, experts say.
“The message at home at the moment is that we need to get more information,” Krutika Kuppalli, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina, told the Washington Post.
“In the meantime, we all need to really double our public health measures – wearing masks, staying physically distant, avoiding crowds.”
With Post threads