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South African Variant of SARS-CoV-2
South African Variant of SARS-CoV-2
Written By: Kandharika Bamrungketudom
A new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 was reported by the South African authorities on the 18th of December, 2020. It was first found on Nelson Mandela Bay but has since spread across the Eastern and Western Cape of the country and into several other countries as well. This variant was named the 501Y.V2 because of its N501Y mutation, which is the same mutation that occurred in the UK variant of the SARS-CoV-2, named the VOC202012/01. The 501Y.V2 and the VOC202012/01, however, are two separate strains of variants based on phylogenetic analysis.
Because this new South African variant has a greater degree of mutation in the spike proteins than that of the UK variant, some concerns have arisen regarding whether the vaccines would still be effective against it. Spike proteins are the parts utilized by the viruses to gain entry into the human cell. Vaccines work by prompting the immune system to create antibodies that would bind to these specific proteins, thereby preventing them from entering the human cells. It could be that the mutations might make it so that the virus can evade the antibodies produced by the body after receiving the vaccine, either making the vaccine completely useless against it or making the vaccine less effective. However, Professor Shabir Madhi, who led trials for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in South Africa, said that it is “unlikely” that the vaccines will be completely useless. Further studies are being done in order to determine the effectiveness of the vaccine against this variant of the SARS-CoV-2.
Although the British government has suggested that the 501Y.V2 is more transmissible than the VOC202012/01, there is still no scientific evidence to support that, nor to support whether this variant is more deadly than the others. However, even though the 501Y.V2 may not be more transmissible than the VOC202012/01, it may still be equally as transmissible as the UK variant, meaning that it is more transmissible than other circulating variants of the SARS-CoV-2.
Currently, this variant is spreading primarily in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces of South Africa. Some countries outside of South Africa, such as Austria, Norway, the UK, and Japan have also found cases with this new variant.
Further Readings:
For more information about the VOC202012/01 (previously classified as the VUI-202012/01), a related article can be accessed on the ICS Health Science Journal, titled “COVID-19 Update December 21, 2020”
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