The new variant of it has caused concern all over the world since yesterday coronavirus. Today the WHO is expected to hold an emergency meeting on B.1.1.529 as it has been named by scientists, while London Imperial College virologist Tom Pickok said that "at present which have been checked. "But they have to be analyzed very carefully because of the frightening profile of the variant in terms of the profile of the spike protein (because of the 32 mutations that are incorporated there)."
Here is what we know so far about the "Botswana mutation"
What is the new variant and why is it worrying?
Scientists have identified a new variant of the coronavirus, which they named B.1.1.529 and are currently under investigation. About 50 cases have already been reported in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana.
B.1.1.529 has a particularly unusual number of mutations, which are worrying because they may allow it to invade the immune system and make it more contagious, scientists say. Any new variant capable of bypassing vaccine defenses or transmitting faster than the now dominant Delta variant could pose a significant threat to the planet's attempt to leave the pandemic in the past.
Where exactly was it located?
Early indications from diagnostic laboratories show that the variant is occurring more and more frequently in the Gauteng province of South Africa and may already be present in the other eight provinces of the country.
In the daily update on daily cases across the country, the National Infectious Diseases Institute (NICD) announced 2.465 new coronavirus infections, more than double the previous day. The NICD did not attribute the rapid increase to the new variant, but some scientists in the country suspect that it is indeed responsible.
South Africa has confirmed about 100 samples as B.1.1.529, but the variant has also been identified in Botswana and Hong Kong. In the latter case, the carrier was a traveler from South Africa. 90% of new cases in Gauteng could be due to B.1.1.529, according to scientists.
What are the differences from the other variants?
Experienced scientists described B.1.1.529 on Thursday afternoon as the worst variant they have seen since the beginning of the pandemic. It has 32 mutations in the protein spike, the part of the virus that most vaccines use to prepare the immune system for the coronavirus. By comparison, the Delta variant has about half the mutations. Mutations in the protein spike can affect the ability of the virus to infect cells and spread, but also make it difficult for immune cells to work.
The Delta variant was first identified in India in 2020, but has since spread worldwide, causing an increase in cases and deaths. Other variants that have concerned us are Alpha (first identified in Kent, UK), Beta (originally known as the "South African mutation"), and Gamma, first detected in Brazil. An unexpected development observed in Japan, where cases have dropped, has led some scientists to believe that the variants can "mutate enough to disappear on their own."
Have new restrictions been applied?
South Africa has been added to Britain's list of "red destinations". The flight ban also applies to Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. Scotland has confirmed that all arrivals from these countries will have to self-isolate and take two molecular tests, while anyone arriving from those countries after Saturday will have to stay in a special quarantine hotel.
Recent arrivals from South Africa are to be identified and tested in an effort to prevent the new executive from entering the country.
Similarly, Israel has announced that it will ban its citizens from traveling to South Africa, with the list it includes including Mozambique in addition to the above six states. At the same time, it will prohibit the entry of foreign travelers from the area into its territory.
The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Twitter that "the European Commission, in close coordination with the Member States, will propose an urgent measure to end air arrivals from the wider South African region, due to concerns about the variant B.1.1.529 ".
What can I do to protect myself?
The advice of experts has not changed: vaccination remains the best means of protection available to us - and the implementation of repeated doses in case the prescribed period has passed from the initial vaccination schedule.
With information from the Guardian
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