All the major mutations in the virus we know about

The viruses are constantly moving, so it is not surprising that the coronavirus that appeared in China at the end of 2019 went through multiple minor variations. But it has also undergone some major mutations and several significant variations are likely to occur.

Most recently, strains have emerged in South Africa and the United Kingdom that have raised some concerns about the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines. There is also a new suspected strain in the US, with the White House coronavirus working group warning at the beginning of the new year that there could be a new, more transmissible variant of the virus that has evolved in the US and is spreading, according to a document obtained by NBC News.

And on Sunday, the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases said it had detected a new variant of the coronavirus in four passengers arriving from Brazil.

In essence, scientists are worried about any major changes to the virus’s so-called spike protein. It contains the receptor binding domain and is used by the virus to enter cells in the body.

As such, mutations can not only make the virus more transmissible, but can mean that vaccines become less potent and need to be updated.

A new variant was reported by health officials in the UK to the World Health Organization on December 14, which is now formally known as “VOC 202012/01” (meaning “variant of concern, year 2020, month 12”). , variant 01 ”).

The variant was first detected in a patient in Kent, south-east England, in September. Then it spread rapidly to London. With the increase in infections in both regions, early analysis suggested that it may be up to 70% more transmissible than the old variant circulating in the country.

News of the new variant has led many countries to ban flights from the UK in an attempt to maintain new pressure, and has led the country’s government to abandon a planned easing of Christmas social restrictions. However, the mutation has caused a huge increase in infections, with the number of new daily cases exceeding 50,000 since 28 December.

WHO notes that “how and where SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01 occurred is unclear”, although scientists are examining whether the mutation occurred in patients with weaker immune systems who had long-term coronavirus infections, giving the virus the opportunity and time to evolve in a way that allows it to spread faster.

Hot after the news from the United Kingdom, the South African authorities announced on December 18 the detection of a mutation that was spreading rapidly in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. It has now become the dominant strain of coronavirus in the country.

South Africa named the variant “501Y.V2” because of the N501Y mutation found in the spike protein. This mutation, among other things, has been found in the new strain in the UK and, as such, is thought to be similarly more transmissible.

The South African strain also contains other mutations, which have raised concerns that it may be more resistant to coronavirus vaccines. However, most scientists expect vaccines to work despite the mutation, and vaccines are regularly adapted to new strains of viruses, such as the common flu.

Another variant of coronavirus that appeared in Denmark last summer was related to the large mink growing sector in the country. Since June, 214 human cases of Covid-19 have been identified in Denmark with variants associated with farmed minks. Twelve of these cases were identified as having a single variant that was reported by the WHO on 5 November.

The new strain was found in Northern Jutland in Denmark and was linked to infections in farmed mink that were later transmitted to humans.

“The variant, called the ‘Cluster 5’ variant by the Danish authorities, had a combination of mutations that had not been observed before,” the WHO said. He added that they were concerned that it could “reduce the neutralization of the virus in humans, which could reduce the extent and duration of immune protection after natural infection or vaccination.”

Studies are ongoing to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment in humans with this variant. Fortunately, it does not appear to be more transmissible, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the WHO. Denmark has taken drastic measures, eliminating 17 million breeding mines.

The WHO notes that a variant of coronavirus appeared at the beginning of the pandemic (indeed, before it was even declared a global pandemic in March 2020), noting that in late January a new strain appeared with a mutation known as ” D614G ”or the beginning of February 2020.

After a few months, it has become the dominant strain of the virus we know today, the WHO said. “Over a period of several months, the D614G mutation replaced the original SARS-CoV-2 strain identified in China and by June 2020 became the dominant form of the virus circulating globally.”

Studies on human respiratory cells and animal models have shown that, compared to the original strain of the virus, the newer strain has increased in terms of infectivity and transmission. However, the new variant was not seen as causing “more severe diseases or altering the effectiveness of existing laboratory diagnosis, therapy, vaccines or preventive public health measures”.

While variants are sometimes referred to as the “UK strain” or “Danish mutation”, experts say it is important to note that the origin of these viruses is ultimately difficult to prove and that countries should not be “blamed” for various mutations. .

Similarly, US President Donald Trump has been criticized for calling Covid-19 “China’s virus” – the coronavirus could have appeared in China, but we still don’t know its origins and a WHO team is traveling to China this week to investigate . For now, scientists largely believe that the virus was transmitted to humans from an animal species, possibly from bats.

Many countries where variants have been discovered – including the United Kingdom, Denmark and South Africa – are known for regular surveillance and sequencing of the virus’s genetic code and are therefore at the forefront of the discovery of mutations. WHO and other public agencies, such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the EU ECDC, are being updated by scientists around the world as major variations emerge.