How dangerous is the new variant of the coronavirus that may now also circulate in the Netherlands? Heart of the Netherlands asks virologists five pressing questions about the corona mutation.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday evening that a new variant of the corona virus has surfaced in the United Kingdom that would be up to 70 percent more contagious. According to the cabinet, the mutation also seems to have been diagnosed in someone in the Netherlands at the beginning of December.
Also read: New British corona variant probably already in the Netherlands
But what about the higher infectivity of the new variant and is there a chance that corona will mutate into a deadlier virus as a result? Virologists Marion Koopmans (Erasmus MC and OMT member) and Wim van der Poel (Wageningen University) answer five questions.
How dangerous is the new British variant of the coronavirus?
Van der Poel emphasizes that no scientific results are yet known showing that the new variant spreads more quickly from person to person. “It appears to be more contagious because it is widely observed in certain areas of Britain.” According to Koopmans, the mutation also appears to be more contagious: the so-called reproduction number (R-value) has increased in the United Kingdom, “while everyone has been trying hard for some time to reduce that value”.
Is it possible that corona mutates into a deadlier virus after all?
According to Van der Poel, more research is needed to find out whether the new variant is more deadly than the virus that has been circulating so far. He thinks it may be “weeks” before we have an answer. Koopmans knows that a lot of research is currently being done in laboratories into the mutation and expects more results within one to two weeks. “It is cultivated and it is examined how the virus develops in different ways.” She points out that the mutation may also ensure that “the consequences of the severity of the complaints are less”.
Are there any indications that the new variant is already circulating in the Netherlands?
It could indeed be that the corona mutation is already circulating in our country, Van der Poel thinks. Koopmans has not seen any indications of this so far, however. “No, a single case has been found in the Netherlands.” According to her, with the hard lockdown in our country, stricter corona measures now apply than previously in the United Kingdom. “Hopefully that will help and the new variant will spread less quickly here.”
How does the mutation affect the effect of corona vaccines?
“It may be that the mutation has an effect on the effect of the vaccines,” says Van der Poel. However, according to him, the pharmaceuticals indicate that the new variant has not yet had a negative effect. “It seems they think the change in the proteins is not that dangerous.” And even if the mutation turns out to be stronger, the virologist is not worried. “Vaccines can be adapted quickly, because viruses always mutate.” A mutation of the corona virus was also discovered in February, Koopmans emphasizes. “So this is not the first time.”
Could the new corona variant possibly explain the increasing infection rates?
It doesn’t look like that, says Koopmans. “We take random samples of infected people and the mutation has now been determined in one person. If the new corona variant was already widespread in our country, we should have seen it before, ”she explains. Van der Poel also does not think that the mutation could be the cause of the high infection rates in recent weeks. “We would really have heard this from the RIVM.”
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