New Covid-19 variant, strain or mutation: The real danger

The Manila Times – January 16, 2021

POLICY-MAKERS, medical scientists and the media have freely used almost interchangeably the terms “variant,” “strain” and “mutation” to describe the reported new form of Covid-19 that now threatens to heighten the global catastrophe.

President Duterte has contributed to the discussion by calling the thing a “monster,” on being told that the new variant had arrived in the country, courtesy of a pair of travelers from the United Kingdom.

It will quicken public comprehension of the new threat and hopefully stay the trigger hand of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases from leveling more diktats on the people if we take time to differentiate these terms and understand what each means precisely.

The Independent newspaper of London commendably provided a glossary of terms last December after the Boris Johnson government announced that a new “variant” of Covid-19 had been detected in the UK which could be responsible for the faster transmission of the virus recently seen in England.

Reports from the media and government alike have referred to a new “strain” of the virus, often dubbing it a “mutant” version of the coronavirus. So, what is this new development — and what exactly is the difference between variant, strain and mutation? The Independent asked, and then reported:

“The new Covid-19 variant — called VUI 202012/01 — spreads far more easily between people as a result of a series of mutations that have been identified in the genetic coding.

“It is not, however, believed to cause more severe symptoms of the Covid-19 disease, or lead to higher rates of mortality. And all current evidence suggests the vaccines remain effective against the variant.

“Imperial College London experts have said the variant could make Covid-19 around 70 percent more transmissible, and the government fears it could increase the country’s R rate of transmission by 0.4 or more if allowed to spread unchecked.

“What is a strain?

“The term strain is only appropriate when referring to Sars-Cov-2, the virus causing the Covid-19 disease – since it is a strain of the wider coronavirus family, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

“At a briefing organized by the UK’s Science Media Center, Professor Tom Connor of the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University explained: ‘There is one strain of coronavirus. That is Sars-Cov-2. That is the single strain, and there are variants of that strain.’

“Professor Connor said the term strain is often misused. ‘The correct term to use is variant to describe this particular variant of concern.’

“What about mutation?

“Mutation is the process by which a strain can take on new variants. The idea of a mutating or ‘mutant’ virus may sound frightening — but scientists have made clear it is normal and expected.

“Some of the mutations are ‘silent’ and don’t have any function, but others have made some significant changes to the biology of Sars-CoV-2.”

What variant could mean for pandemic and vaccines
Robert Hart, writing in Forbes magazine, presented an informative report on how the new Covid variant discovered in England would impact the spread of the virus, and the efficacy of the Covid vaccines.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was unclear to what extent outbreaks in the south of England, which have been put under new lockdown restrictions because of a surge in cases, were caused by the new strain or whether the mutations had led to a change in the virus’ behavior.

He said there was “nothing to suggest” that the mutant would cause more serious disease, though he did say that the mutation is linked to the virus’ spike protein, which is instrumental in allowing it to reproduce and spread and is the target of many leading vaccines currently in development, including the Pfizer-BioNTech currently being rolled out in the UK and the US.

Hancock said the World Health Organization had been notified and British scientists were conducting in-depth studies.

The health secretary did not provide the necessary evidence needed to back these claims, which Dr. Lucy van Dorp, a researcher at University College London’s Genetics Institute, described as “frustrating” for scientists when trying to evaluate the threat.

Professor Martin Hibberd, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said it is “too early to say how important” the new variant is yet, adding that it could be the “result of chance events” as well as a “more transmissible” strain.

Dr. Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome, said that consequences of new mutations are “potentially serious.” Farrar emphasized that there is a great deal left to learn about Covid-19, noting that “there is no room for complacency. We have to remain humble and be prepared to adapt and respond to new and continued challenges as we move into 2021.”

As Hibberd said, it’s too early to tell whether this new variant of virus represents a threat or not. Mutations are common and expected in viruses, especially ones that are moving around a new species like Covid-19… Further research and observation will be needed to track and understand new strains.

Danger of new catastrophe
Finally, I want to cite an article by Stella Kim in the Los Angeles Times on Jan. 9, 2021, “Covid-19 variant, will it give rise to a new catastrophe?”

She assessed the danger of a new catastrophe arising from the new Covid variant. She wrote:

“‘The new variant is likely to catch on rapidly and become the predominant form in the United States by March,’ says a biologist, Trevor Bedford, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

“A fair number of research have substantiated well-known claims that B.1.1.7, the new Covid variant, does not cause more harm than the original Covid-19 virus and that the vaccines will remain effective.

“The recently discovered B.1.1.7 has proven itself to be the most transmissible form than any other variants, according to the New York Times. The new variant already accounts for more than 60percent of cases in London and surrounding areas…

“In fact, it would be a matter of time when oblivious, asymptomatic carriers of the Covid-19 variant — who traveled to the areas of the UK that have suffered from the recent introduction of B.1.1.7 — would introduce this variant to the country they reside in….

“The sudden increase in the Covid-19 variant patients can potentially threaten the vaccine roll-outs, according to The Atlantic. If the variant with higher transmissibility outnumbers the original strain of the virus, the vaccine distribution would eventually become ineffective not because of its powerlessness to fight against the virus, but because it is outnumbered by the infected patients.

“The main contributor to the high transmission rate of B.1.1.7 is the increased amount of spike-proteins which allow the virus to attach to and eventually enter human cells, according to the New York Times.

“It is true that the original Covid-19 is a more widespread form of the virus currently, and it is vital to focus on the original strand which is indiscriminately causing an overwhelming amount of damage all over the world….

“Any upcoming threats that can amplify the power of the virus should be prevented and regulated.

“The appearance of a variant warns us of what might be coming up. It is easier to deal with unexploded dynamite rather than the one that has violently exploded.”

SOURCE: https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/01/16/opinion/columnists/topanalysis/new-covid-19-variant-strain-or-mutation-the-real-danger/828229/