Will the new Covid strain be useless vaccine? Experts weigh in
The new Covid strain in the U.K. To Americans concerned about how this will affect the vaccine.
Scientists have been difficult to work in development of Covid vaccines in the last nine months, but as they started to unfold around the world, a newvirus strain was detected in U.K last week. This new strain of Covid seems to spread so quickly that many European countries close borders at the U.K. to keep it more and more. Although there is no evidence that the new strain is in the US, Americans are filled with fear of the risks it poses, including how this will affect the vaccine. Read it to find out what experts have to say about the new strain and Pfizer and Moderna vaccines already approved, and see what other voice indicates the mutation, checkA head of the White House has just given this warning on the new COVID mutation.
Overall, the experts are optimistic than theexisting vaccine will be effective against this new strain of Covid. Chief Scientific Advisor of Great BritainPatrick Vallance said in a press conference on Saturday that vaccines seemed sufficient to generate aimmune response at the recent strain of the virus. AtMeet the pressDecember 20, the elected presidentJoe Biden's General nominee of the surgeon,Vivek mourthy, MD, said there was "no reason to believe that theVaccines that have been developed will not be effective against this virus as well. »In addition, the chief scientist of the World Health OrganizationSoumya Swaminathan, MD, told the press briefing on December 21: "So far, even if we have seen a number of changes, none of the mutations had a significant impact on the susceptibility of the virus to one currently used. therapeutic drugs or theVaccines under development and hope that will continue to be the case. "
Gupta wine, MD, the Institute of Metric and Health Assessment, shared a similar feeling in an interview with CNBCAsia Squawkbox December 21: "There is a strong belief that the vaccine, as it exists today ... will haveEffectiveness in the protection of infection From this new strain in England, in addition to the old strain we mentioned for months now. "
Gupta explained that, at the genetic level, the strain is likely to be quite similar to the earlier variants. "The effectiveness of these vaccines in the production of antibodies that can really attack and kill Covid-19 is extraordinary," Gupta said. "I do not expect these minor changes at the genetic level ... affect the performance of short-term vaccines."
However, Gupta notes that future versions of the vaccine will have to be updated, which is very similar to the influenza vaccine that varies slightly from year to year. "I think that could affect our future work, but it's not going to affect the close term," Gupta said. "It does not have an impact on the effectiveness of current vaccines in the end of the pandemic." Read more about the new Covid strain and to see if you are eligible to get your vaccine earlier, checkIf you did it in 2020, you can get your Covid vaccine earlier.
Read the original article onBetter life.
1 The new strain is the most mutated form of the virus we have seen so far.
Covid-19 traveled someminor mutations and variations before, which is normal for a virus. However, the experts noted the last variant present in the U.K. has more mutations than one of the other strains, which could be concerned. "I am concerned because since the beginning of that we have seen mutations occur around the world, many thousands of them, but this one hasMore mutations that any variant we saw before, "Danny Altmann, Professor of Immunology at Imperial College London, told CNBCSquawk Box Europe.
Altmann says that the mutations of the strain "seem to account for the non-sssay that we have seen in London and the southeast in recent months." And for more current Covid news delivered directly to your inbox,Sign up for our daily newsletter.
2 The new Covid strain is more contagious.
At a press conference Saturday, U.K. Prime MinisterBoris Johnsonstated that "although there is considerable uncertainty," the new variant "can reach 70%more transmitted than the old variant. "He noted that" it's early data and is subject to see ".
TheThe new strain has become the dominant form of Covid In London and South-East and Eastern England, according to Vallance, representing more than 60% of infections. To see what shocked doctors on the vaccine, checkThe only thing about the Covid vaccine that is surprising even doctors.
3 The new Covid strain traveled outside the U.K.
At the same press conference, Vallance said, "We think [the new strain]can be in other countries What's more. "He added that, although British officials are those who identify the new strain, they are not positive where he is from." It may have started here, we do not know for sure, "he said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),Case of the new strain Have been identified in Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands, while health managers in Italy and Gibraltar say that it affected them. To learn more about what is in the vaccine, checkThat's what's really in the Covid vaccine.
4 It does not seem to be a more mortal.
In a statement, the chief doctor of EnglandChris Whitty says: "There is no current evidence to suggest thetension Causes a higher mortality rate or affects vaccines and treatments, although urgent work is underway to confirm it. "
5 It will not be the last new strain of Covid.
The virus has been mutated since its creation, and it will not stop. "Thismutual virus like all viruses. The flu mutate the most. And what viruses do they change their surface proteins. And once they do that, the antibodies we have developed against these surface proteins no longer work ", former FDA CommissionerScott Gottlieb, MD, says onFace the nationDecember 20th.
"The mutations of the flu change very quickly from its surface proteins very quickly. We must constantly have a new influenza vaccine. Some viruses like measles do not change their surface proteins. And so the measles tour than We had 20 years still works, "explained Gottlieb. "Coronavirus seems somewhere in the middle. This goes mutated and change its surface proteins, but probably quite slowly so that we can develop new vaccines." And to see why this expert has not yet had his shot, checkThat's why Dr. Faisci has not yet received the vaccine.