Just when we thought that the COVID-19 pandemic was receding, we received some gloomy news. There’s a new COVID strain doing the rounds. Our coronavirus vaccine drive is almost underway and at this point, news of a new COVID strain, the B117 virus has got everyone asking the question- does this mean a new lockdown?
Here’s what you need to know.
The B117 virus originated as a mutation of the coronavirus in the eastern and southern UK in September and by the end of the year, scientists everywhere had started studying the B117 virus. Why did it cause so much concern when other COVID strains did not?
Experts have found that the B117 virus is much more contagious than other COVID strains. It is almost 70% more transmissible.
The good news is, despite being more contagious than the regular coronavirus, the B117 virus is definitely not more dangerous than the other strains.
The news of the increasing numbers of infections associated with the mutated coronavirus spread like a wildfire. Since this virus broke out in the UK and spread like wildfire, it did not come as a surprise when PM Boris Johnson declared the second lockdown in the country that lasted for the last two months of 2020 and going by the most recent reports, it may continue until February 2021.
India along with many countries had suspended flights to Britain over fears that international travel will expedite the spread of the new virus in India.
Despite the suspension of flights, the B117 virus has reached India. As per December reports, more than 5 people who arrived in India from Britain tested positive for this new strain. They have exposed others to the virus as well.
How likely is a new lockdown in India? Not very at this moment. The threats to the economy posed by a new lockdown are numerous and so far the B117 virus has not reached dangerous levels. Besides, preparations to roll out the coronavirus vaccine are in full swing.
Scientists are yet not aware of the fact whether this variant is more infectious or resistant to vaccines. Dr Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana State University, says one of its mutations is similar to those seen in variants identified in South Africa and Brazil. This mutation may help the virus evade antibodies in the immune system that can fight coronavirus based on experience from prior infection or a vaccine.
But what appears to be more worrying at the moment is a variant identified in the UK, which is dominant in Britain and has spread to more than 50 countries. “I doubt whether the Indian variant is more infectious than the UK variant – and we must not panic,” Dr Kamil says.
Hence, keeping a safe distance and maintaining all COVID-19 norms is important to keep yourself and the people around you safe and healthy. The following paragraph lists the measures to be taken.
The same measures that prevent the spread of other COVID strains are effective against the B117 virus-
Let us try our best to follow protocols and keep each other safe.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.
Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
The ongoing war against the COVID pandemic is about to end soon. Across the world, several vaccines have been invented that have proved to be effective against the COVID. In India, 2 vaccines have been given emergency approval and vaccination has already been rolled out. Soon enough we will all be receiving the COVID vaccine. This brings with it the hope that there will be fewer COVID casualties and we will be able to rebuild our economies.
In the midst of all this, another bit of news has been making the rounds that might dampen your happy spirits. The emergence of a new coronavirus mutation in the B117 strain is triggering significant anxiety in the scientific community.
What are scientists worried about? Read on to find out.
Towards the end of 2020, we came to know about a new strain of coronavirus called the UK virus of B117. It made headlines across the world and forced a fresh round of restrictions and lockdown in Britain. Flights to the UK were temporarily suspended, all because the new B117 strain is extremely contagious.
Several other strains were found in South Africa, Brazil, the USA, and Japan that were believed to have originated from B117.
But scientists soon discovered that though the B117 strain is more contagious, that does not mean that it is more dangerous than the other strains of COVID. The COVID vaccines were expected to be effective against the B117.
But recently, new studies have found something alarming, something that is making scientists lose their sleep.
For many months now scientists have been studying all mutations that the coronavirus undergoes. It is the nature of any virus to evolve.
The focus of the research has been directed primarily to understanding the mutation of the spike protein. These spikes are used by the virus to attach itself to the healthy host cell.
The mutation in the spike structure of the coronavirus, helps the virus to attach more efficiently to the host cell. When our bodies develop immunity through either infection or vaccination, the antibodies are responsible to fight against the viruses in the host cells. But the mutation of the spike region will help the virus escape the antibodies.
This suggests that the antibodies developed in response to the earlier strain of coronavirus may not be as effective against the new mutated strain.
And this is exactly the kind of mutation that scientists have observed in samples of B117 strain They have named this new mutation as the ‘escape mutation’
The first thing that will come to your mind after learning about the new coronavirus mutation is will the vaccines work? And people who have already overcome the COVID infection might also be wondering if the antibodies they produced in response to the virus will prevent another infection.
Scientists don’t have clear answers to these questions. Immunity is a complex system. There are several different kinds of antibodies that our immune system produces and different antibodies attack different parts of the virus. So the effectiveness of the COVID vaccine will depend on how much our body depends on those antibodies that attack the spike protein region of the coronavirus.
Researchers will need to study the coronavirus mutation in greater detail before they can come up with an answer.
Continue maintaining social distancing, and regular sanitization. Wear your mask at all times when you are outside your home. Once your turn comes, get vaccinated. Even post-vaccination you must follow the COVID protocol. This is the best you can do at this moment.
Updates regarding coronavirus will keep coming. This is a virus that is difficult to understand. Even though the COVID vaccine is your best shot at a normal life, our safety lies in being responsible and doing the right thing at the right time.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.
Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
Coronavirus seems to always be in the headlines. Just when we thought that the struggle against coronavirus is about to end and the new year would mean the return of the old normal, COVID made a comeback in a new form- the B117 virus.
The new strain of the virus that emerged in the UK has spread to many other countries. Even though flights to the UK are not being operated, the virus has arrived in India too.
Naturally, this poses a question- will the coronavirus vaccine work against B117?
The only difference between B117 virus and the other strains of COVID is that it is much more contagious. In fact, of all the different strains of COVID, this one has the highest percentage of transmissibility, which stands at 70%.
The good news is that scientists across the world believe that the coronavirus vaccine will be effective against the B117 virus as well.
Firstly, scientists have found that this virus does not have extra virulence. That means it is not more dangerous than the other strains of COVID. If a vaccine against the corona virus is proven to be effective, it may also be effective against the new strain of the virus.
Most importantly, there is no change in the spike protein of the B117 virus. The spike protein determines how effective the coronavirus vaccine will be.
Ever since it was announced that India’s home-grown coronavirus vaccine- Covaxin by Bharat Biotech has been given emergency approval, it has met huge backlash. Scientists are doubtful about its efficacy because it has not yet completed the vital phase 3 trial. Moreover, its efficacy reports have not been published.
Once this coronavirus vaccine completes the trials and scientists know more about its effectiveness, we can get a better idea of whether India’s COVID vaccine can prevent the B117 virus.
So in the meantime, the best we can all do is observe COVID protocol and wait for the coronavirus vaccine to roll out.
