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An Update on COVID-19 New Variants


New Variants

Due to genomic instability, viruses mutate quickly giving rise to new variants. This is no exception to the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing our current COVID-19 pandemic. The virus that was first detected in Wuhan, China, is no longer the same one found in most corners of the world. The first major mutation, D614G, emerged in Europe in late January/early February 2020 and quickly became the globally dominant form of the virus. In August of last year, another variant, A222V, spread across Europe and was linked to summer holiday travel to Spain. More recently, two new variants have emerged: the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 lineages.


B.1.1.7 (aka 20B/501Y.V1 Variant of Concern (VOC) 202012/01)

First appearing in the UK in September 2020, this variant has now been identified in countries across the world, including the United States, Canada, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil and Vietnam. This variant contains an N501Y mutation in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein, which increases the binding affinity to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. Other notable mutations in the spike protein include:

  • The 69/70 deletion which occurred spontaneously a number of times, and likely leads to a conformational change in the spike protein

  • The P681H mutation proximal to the S1/S2 furin cleavage site, a region with high variability amongst coronaviruses

  • The ORF8 Q27stop mutation which does not affect the spike protein, but truncates the ORF8 protein. The effect of this mutation is unknown.


B.1.351 (aka 20C/501Y.V2)

First identified in South Africa in October 2020, this variant has been detected in countries including Austria, Norway, Japan and the UK. It has multiple mutations in the spike protein, including the N501Y mutation found in the B.1.1.7 variant. However, unlike the B.1.1.7 variant, it does not contain the 69/70 deletion. There are additional spike protein RBD mutations, including K417N and E484K, however the implications of these mutations remain unknown.


Consequences

Potential consequences of emerging variants include,

  • Ability to spread more quickly between people

  • Ability to cause either milder or more severe disease

  • Ability to evade detection by specific diagnostic tests

  • Decreased susceptibility to therapeutic agents, such as monoclonal antibodies

  • Ability to evade natural or vaccine-induced immunity


Although the newly detected variants are believed to transmit more efficiently and more rapidly, there is currently no evidence to suggest that they increase the severity of disease or risk of death. Furthermore, there is no evidence demonstrating that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will not be effective against these variants. Nonetheless, this information is subject to change as research continues and our understanding of the variants is refined.

Information accurate as of January 11th, 2021.


– Anthony Singh, 2T3 Class Representative


References

1. Briggs, H. (2021, January 06). Coronavirus variants and mutations: The science explained. Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55404988

2. Callaway, E. (2021, January 07). Could new COVID variants undermine vaccines? Labs scramble to find out. Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00031-0

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, January 3). Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants. Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/scientific-brief-emerging-variants.html

4. Gallagher, J. (2020, December 20). New coronavirus variant: What do we know? Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55388846

5. Rambaut, A., Loman, N., Pybus, O., Barclay, W., Barnett, J., Carabelli, A., . . . Volz, E. (2020, December 18). Preliminary genomic characterisation of an emergent SARS-CoV-2 lineage in the UK defined by a novel set of spike mutations. Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://virological.org/t/preliminary-genomic-characterisation-of-an-emergent-sars-cov-2-lineage-in-the-uk-defined-by-a-novel-set-of-spike-mutations/563

6. Roberts, M. (2021, January 08). South Africa coronavirus variant: What is the risk? Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55534727

7. World Health Organization. (2020, December 31). SARS-CoV-2 Variants. Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.who.int/csr/don/31-december-2020-sars-cov2-variants/en/

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