Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Published : February 16, 2021 7:08 PM IST
The South African covid-19 variant has eight distinctive mutations in the spike protein, the part that mediates the virus’ entry into host cells
The spread of a more contagious coronavirus strain, first discovered in South Africa, remains a big concern amidst vaccination. Scientists are worried that the South African Covid-19 variant, known as B.1.351, may spread more easily and current vaccines may not work against it. In fact, a recent study had shown that Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine is less effective against this variant. As per media reports, this variant has been found in more than 40 countries. Now, India has also confirmed four Covid-19 cases caused by this new variant.
In last two months, India has recorded a total of 192 Covid-19 cases of the new variants four cases of the South African variant, one of the Brazilian variant, and the rest are all of the UK variant the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) revealed on Tuesday.
According to ICMR Director General, Prof Balram Bhargava, the South African variant was found in four people who returned from African countries in January. One person had returned from Angola, one from Tanzania and two from South Africa, he told IANS news agency.
The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, is working to isolate and culture the variant after which the efficacy of vaccines against it will be known, said Bhargava.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian variant, named P.1 lineage, was detected in a person who returned from the South American country early this month. While the strain has been successfully isolated and cultured at the NIV, experiments are going on to assess the efficacy of vaccines on it, Bhargava added.
The Brazilian variant has spread to 15 countries. However, so far, no mortality has been reported among the patients who contracted three new variants.
This coronavirus variant was first detected in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, in early October 2020 and within weeks it became the dominant strain in the country. This variant has now spread to 44 countries, said ICMR's Prof Bhargava.
According to study by South African researchers, it has eight distinctive mutations in the spike protein, the part that mediates the virus' entry into host cells.
It carries a mutation, called N501Y, that seems to make it more contagious or easy to spread and another mutation, called E484K, which could allow it to escape a person's immune system and reduce the effect of vaccines.
Studies have shown that the B.1.351 strain is about 50 per cent more transmissible than earlier strains of the coronavirus.
More alarming is the finding that this variant can "escape" protection from current COVID-19 vaccines.
Recent data released by Johnson & Johnson showed that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate was 72 per cent effective in the U.S. and only 57 per cent effective in South Africa, where the B.1.351 strain is dominant.
Last month Novavax also announced that its vaccine was nearly 85 per cent effective against the U.K. variant, but showed only 50 per cent effective at preventing infection with the South African variant.
A study examined the blood samples from people who was administered Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and found that antibody levels produced in response to the South African variant were six-fold lower than antibodies produced in response to other coronavirus strains.
However, there is no evidence that the B.1.351 variant causes more serious illness than other variants.
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