How Worrying Is The New Coronavirus Variant That Has Rattled UK?

London: A new variant of the ‘out of control’ SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has sent alarm bells ringing in the UK. Cases from Italy and Australia have been reported as well, while several countries including India has barred flights to and from UK.

The latest strain, which some experts refer to as the B.1.1.7 lineage, is not the first new variant of the pandemic virus to emerge. But what is worrying the world is that it’s said to be much more transmissible than the previously dominant strain in the UK.

Most scientists say the concerns are justified, according to a Reuters report.

“It is right to take it seriously,” said Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London.

Shaun Fitzgerald, a visiting professor at the Cambridge University, said the situation was “extremely concerning.”

This variant has 23 mutations in its genetic code and some of these are affecting its ability to spread. Scientists say it is about 40%-70% more transmissible.

“The new B.1.1.7 … still appears to have all the human lethality that the original had, but with an increased ability to transmit,” said Martin Hibberd, professor of emerging infectious disease at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Will The Current Vaccines Work?

The vaccination programme is on in full steam in the UK, so the obvious question people are asking is whether vaccines currently being deployed will work against this variant of the virus.

It may be early days yet, but scientists say there’s no evidence that the Pfizer and BioNtech vaccines — or other COVID-19 shots in development like Oxford-AstraZeneca – will not be effective.

“It’s unlikely that this will have anything more than a minor, if any, effect on the vaccine’s effectiveness,” said Adam Finn, a vaccine specialist and professor of paediatrics at Bristol University.

Does It Affect Testing?

As for the question whether the new variant affects testing, the answer is yes, to some extent.

“This has affected the ability of some tests to detect the virus,” said Robert Shorten, an expert in microbiology at the Association for Clinical Biochemistry & Laboratory Medicine.

Are There Other Variants?

Significantly, concerns have also been raised by strains of the COVID-causing virus emerging in recent months in South Africa, Spain, Denmark and other countries.

However none of them has so far been found to contain mutations that make it more deadly, or more likely to be able to evade vaccines or treatments.