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KOMPAS.com – In December 2020, the media started reporting the emergence new variant the corona virus that causes Covid-19, and since then scientists have been investigating new variants.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, the Government revealed that they had found two cases a new variant of the corona virus B.1.1.7 on Monday (1/2/2021).
Deputy Health Minister (Wamenkes) Dante Saksono Harbuwono said the government had examined 462 cases in the last few months, until finally the two cases were found.
Stuart Ray, MD, vice chairman of medicine for data integrity and analytics, said a viral variant occurs when there is a change or mutation – in the viral gene. Moreover, the nature of RNA viruses like the corona virus does evolve and change gradually.
So in fact, mutations in viruses – including the corona virus that causes Covid-19 are not new or unexpected.
Also read: Mutations of Corona Virus B.1.1.7 Found in Indonesia, Here Are 4 Things You Need to Know
While according to Ben Lopman, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at Emory University’s school of public health, Atlanta, there are many variants of the virus out there, but there is little that is worrying because it appears to be spreading faster and could possibly (replace) the previously dominant variant.
In addition to the new variant B.1.1.7, there are three other new variants of the corona virus that cause Covid-19. The following include:
The British strain, called B.1.1.7, was first reported in the US in late December. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), B.1.1.7 spreads more quickly and easily than other variants of the coronavirus.
Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease doctor, said the virus mutation could become the dominant strain in the US by the end of March.
“Because on February 23, there were 1,881 cases reported of this variant in 45 US states. It is also spreading in Denmark and Scandinavia, “said Lopman.
2. Varian B.1.351
The B.1.351 variant, also known as the South African variant, emerged independently from the British strain, but had several mutations in common.
Data shows the virus variant first appeared in South Africa in October and has since spread to other countries, including the US.
This variant of the corona virus can also increase the likelihood of re-infection. A vaccine study in South Africa found that 2% of people who had this version of the coronavirus had been reinfected.
Also read: New British Corona Virus Variant, These 2 Symptoms Predictors Being Treated in the Hospital
3. Variant P1
The Brazilian P.1 variant, first detected in mid-January, in travelers from the Brazilian state of Amazonas going to Japan.
It appears that this new variant of the coronavirus contains mutations that raise concerns about transmission and the potential for reinfection.
Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon region, saw a spike in cases in December, even though 75% of the population was infected in October. Five cases of this new variant of the corona virus have been reported by the US CDC in Minnesota, Oklahoma, Maryland and Florida.
Also read: The Brazilian Corona Virus Variant Is Called Easier to Contagious
4. Varian CAL.20C
Launching TODAY, another new variant of the corona virus is CAL.20C, which currently accounts for half of the COVID-19 cases in Southern California.
According to research from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA To detect the strain, researchers initially looked at 10,000 samples of Covid-19 from the state in March and found the earliest samples of the strain in July, said Plummer, a co-author of the study.
In mid-to-late January, this new strain represented more than 30% of cases statewide and more than 40% in Southern California.
By mid-February, researchers had discovered CAL.20C in 19 states, Washington, DC, and six foreign countries. Data at this stage shows that this new variant of the corona virus is more easily spread than other strains.
In Ohio, researchers at Wexner Medical Center in Columbus have discovered two new strains of SARS-CoV-2.
Researchers are still tracking the prevalence of the two, but they have found that one strain became dominant in Columbus, Ohio, for three weeks between December and January and suspected it might be more contagious.
Also read: Mutation of Corona Virus B.1.1.7 Entering Indonesia, Symptoms are Similar to the Original Variant
Illustration of Covid-19 Vaccine (shutterstock). –
New variant the corona virus has not been proven to be more deadly
Dr. Sten Vermund, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, said whether or not a new variant of the coronavirus is more lethal or not depends on how you think about it, whether individually or in the population.
“(From) a whole society’s point of view, if it is more contagious, more people are infected, even if it is just as deadly, then you will have more people who die,” he said.
“But if you are a doctor and all you do is treat the patient, then it doesn’t matter what kind of illness the patient has. Their risk of serious illness and death is likely about the same.”
British experts reported in January that a new strain of the UK coronavirus could be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other variants, but the CDC said more research was needed in that regard.
There is also emerging evidence that the South African strain may be more virulent, but the CDC has not confirmed it yet, and the same is true for the new variant of the coronavirus in Brazil.
CAL.20C researchers also said it was unclear at this stage whether it was actually causing any more severe disease.
Another factor that can contribute more to whether or not the mutation of a new variant of the corona virus is mutated is how you implement health protocols.
If there are a lot of people who cannot anticipate or prevent them from falling sick, of course there will be a surge in death. However, this does not mean that viral mutations are more deadly.
Also read: Epidemiologist: New Covid-19 Variant Is Transmitted Faster, Prevent it with Prokes
what the Covid-19 vaccine effective against the new variant of the corona virus?
A study of the Pfizer vaccine published in Nature earlier this year found that it creates antibodies that respond to modified viral samples to resemble variants in the UK and South Africa.
Pfizer also said it was researching the effectiveness of its vaccine against a Brazilian variant.
While Moderna announced in late January, laboratory studies showed no significant impact on the neutralizing titer, which correlates with the protection provided by the vaccination, against the British strain and the South African variant of the coronavirus.
In late January, Johnson & Johnson also announced that their one-shot vaccine, effective in preventing moderate to severe Covid-19 disease, but less effective against the South African variant.
Meanwhile, a small clinical trial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this month showed it was not effective at preventing mild to moderate disease from the South African variant, but was effective against the original strain.
“Now what can be done, people who have received the vaccine should continue with coronavirus precautions to reduce the risk of infection, such as wearing masks, physical distancing and washing hands,” said Robert Bollinger, Professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University, School. of Medicine.
“We handle flu virus mutations every year, and will keep an eye on this corona virus as well and continue to track it,” he concluded.
Also read: If the Corona Virus Mutations Get More Malignant, the Covid-19 Vaccine Needs to be Revised
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