Thread by @weatherindia

#ScienceSherlock: The Mystery of New #Coronavirus Variants—What They Are, Can #Vaccines Kill Them, and More

#CoronavirusStrain

By- @kun5k

weather.com/en-IN/india/co…

(📸:The Weather Channel)

Just as the world began its counterattack against #COVID19 by launching large-scale #vaccination drives,novel #coronavirus has retorted using the oldest trick in the textbook: #mutation.

#Mutantcoronavirus

The new variants,which appear to be more adept at transmitting from one person to another, have given a bout of jitters to an already anxious world.While linked to the #UK and #SouthAfrica, the origin locations of these variants and just how far they have spread, remain unclear.

It is important to note that referring to these new-found variants as 'strains' would be inaccurate at this point in time. A new #strain would indicate significant genetic changes representing a #viral evolution, which hasn’t been the case so far.

#Mutantcoronavirus

Now, as humanity unites once again to examine, understand, and tackle these new #variants, The Weather Channel India’s #ScienceSherlock brings you a preliminary report of everything you need to know about them:

#Mutantcoronavirus

The alarm bells began ringing in early December 2020, when scientists and public health experts, during a regular meeting about the spread of #COVID19 in the #UK, were presented with a report that displayed a surge in cases in Kent, southeast England.

#Mutantcoronavirus

Less than two weeks after the meeting, the new #variant, referred to as the B.1.1.7 or the VUI-202012/01 (“variant under investigation” in December 2020), is causing mayhem across the #UK and rest of #Europe, seemingly jumping from one person to another at a much faster rate.

Another factor that separates this variant from the rest is that it has #mutated at a very fast rate.While the #COVID19 -causing SARS-CoV-2 virus is known to mutate about once-twice per month,the B.1.1.7 variant has managed to acquire an estimated 17 mutations in a short span!

An illustration of novel #coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

#Mutantcoronavirus

(📸:Alissa Eckert, MSMI; Dan Higgins, MAMS)

Last week, another #coronavirus variant was linked to the second wave currently underway in South Africa. Early reports suggest that it could not only be more infectious than the B.1.1.7, but also more mutated!

#Mutantcoronavirus

@BioNTech_Group Chief Executive Ugur Sahin, on Monday, declared he was confident the #vaccine co-developed by his company and @pfizer mRNA-based vaccine candidate BNT162b2—would be effective against the new variant in #Britain.

#Mutantcoronavirus

Further, @moderna_tx, which is developing the mRNA-1273 #COVID19Vaccine , also released a statement on Wednesday which read: “Based on the data to date, we expect that the @moderna_tx vaccine-induced immunity would be protective against the variants recently described in the #UK.

None of the new #variants has shown any ability to evade treatments and #vaccines so far.However, these #mutations do serve as reminders of the novel coronavirus’ power to adapt; and therefore,the emergence of a mutant smart enough to fool vaccines cannot be ruled out