Implications of the New SARS-CoV-2 Variant
By Holden Habermacher
January 4, 2021
On January 4th, CBS reported that New York state found its first case of the B117
variant of the coronavirus. Five days ago, PBS reported that California announced their first case and, two days later, Local Bay News 9 reported that Florida announced its first case of the new variant. The new mutation of the virus, followed by CBS, first appeared in the United Kingdom and has since spread to the United States. Many scientists in the CDC have speculated as to the changes and effects that the new variant will have upon the vaccine and dispersal of the virus. To terminate the spread of the variant we must understand why this variant occurred, how it occurred, its effect on the United States, and the efficacy of the Pizer and Moderna vaccines.
The CDC is working to stop misinformation surrounding the vaccine and encourages all eligible citizens to receive it. They state that all viruses undergo processes of mutation and new variants occur over time since viruses must mutate to stay alive within their hosts. If they become too fatal, then their host will die and that mutation will disappear. Alternatively, if the virus does not often kill its host, the host may create an immunity to the virus. So, the virus will mutate and evade the host’s immunity to the original viral template. The coronavirus has experienced many mutations globally, yet some gain more attention because of their rapid spread and the havoc they cause. Currently, the variant that first emerged in the UK has no increased risk of death, but “seems to spread more easily and quickly than other variants” (CDC). This poses a huge problem with healthcare facilities, which are already stretched to the limit from dealing with the older strain of Covid. Yet, scientists hope that the current Pizer and Moderna vaccines will protect against most variants found within the US and the rapid spread will not overwhelm hospitals.
A pressing concern for the global Covid response is whether the already-developed vaccines will be effective against this mutation. The current vaccines are mRNA vaccines which, according to the CDC, “give instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the ‘spike protein’... [and] our immune systems recognize that the protein doesn’t belong there and begins building an immune response.” According to the CDC, there is no evidence that the new variant will be impervious to the vaccine, and most experts believe this is unlikely to occur because of the nature of the immune response to the virus. However, scientists have not had time to determine the precise effects of the vaccine on newly-developing variants of Covid. To test for new variants of COVID-19, scientists sequence genetic maps of the virus via genome sequencing. Genome sequencing is a testing method that figures out the order of DNA nucleotides in the genome of the virus that make up its DNA. A new variant is found by identifying specific As, Cs, Gs, and Ts within the DNA strand that differ from the original strand to the variant. By completing genome sequencing tests, scientists can obtain the severity of a certain strain and how easily it can be transmitted. According to CNN, “The CDC plans to double the number of coronavirus genomes being sequenced to look for new COVID-19 mutations in the US for the next two weeks.” 3,000 samples a week are currently being sequenced, but the CDC hopes to create 6,500 per week. To complete this goal, the CDC gave around $15 million to the state health labs in December plus the $8 million that the CDC had previously granted to
seven university labs. The new variant has been confirmed to be sequenced in at least 37 countries (CNN).
The main difference between this novel variant and the coronavirus most common within the US is its potential to spread more easily. This was confirmed via a study by the Center for Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The study “compares a series of models as predictors of data on infections, hospitalizations and other variables” (NYT), and the researchers concluded that the new B117 variant contracted more frequently with the same control variables. In tandem with that, the researchers predicted that “new control measures, including closing down schools and universities, might be necessary” (NYT). Building upon that research, Dr. Nicholas Davies, the lead researcher, ruled out the possibility that the B117 variant was “becoming more common in some regions of the U.K. because people in those places move around more and are more likely to come into contact with each other” (NYT). They were able to eliminate that change with Google’s data that indicated no gain in movement for cellphone users. Dr. Davies cautioned that their number of 56 percent more contagious is an estimate and that they are still gathering more data. Still, Dr. Davies and his colleagues feel confident that this new variant will cause faster spread and greater hospitalizations.
The novel B117 variant of coronavirus will be very important to track and prevent during the process of curbing the pandemic’s spread. Though it is new, the research about its ability to more easily transmit is troubling and verifiable. Yet, the new vaccines rolled out by Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca are currently applicable to all known coronavirus variants. All countries dealing with the pandemic must hasten to pump out vaccines to all of their citizens in hopes to finally stop the spread of the virus that has controlled our lives for months. Now the world must take action and up the testing for the new virus, so more researchable data will be gathered to grasp more aspects of the B117 variant.