Our knowledge of the new variants of the COVID-19 virus is steadily growing. Scientists have recently been investigating how these variants spread, whether they can cause more serious infection and, most importantly, whether the approved vaccines can protect people against the new coronavirus variants.
Viruses constantly mutate, and new variants of a virus emerge over time. Sometimes new variants disappear over time; at other times, these new variants persist. During the pandemic, many COVID-19 variants have been identified both in the USA and around the world.
The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 infection belongs to a large family of viruses. The name coronavirus comes from the crown-like spikes on the surface of these viruses. Scientists are also studying the changes that occur in these spikes on the virus. The most studied question has been how genetic changes alter the virus, its spread and its outcomes in the people it infects.
The COVID-19 variants currently present in the world are as follows:
In the fall of 2020, a variant named B.1.1.7 containing major mutations was identified in the United Kingdom. This mutated virus spreads faster and more easily than other variants. In January 2021, experts in the UK reported that this virus was associated with a higher risk of death than other variants. Of course, more studies are needed to confirm this finding. This variant was subsequently detected in many countries around the world. It was first detected in the USA in December 2020.
In South Africa, another mutated virus named B.1.351 was detected independently of the UK variant. First detected in October 2020, this virus also shares some features with the one identified in the UK.
In early January, the Brazilian variant named P.1 was detected at an airport in Japan during routine screening of travelers arriving from Brazil. This mutated virus has some additional features that may affect its recognition by the body's immune system.
Recent studies have suggested that the currently licensed vaccines can recognize these variants. This topic is being researched very intensively, and many studies are ongoing.
Uncompromising adherence to public health measures such as vaccination, social distancing rules, hand hygiene, mask use, isolation and quarantine is essential to limiting the global spread of the COVID-19 virus.
- What do we not yet know about these mutated viruses?
- How widely have these viruses spread?
- How do these new virus types affect the course and symptoms of the disease compared with the earlier COVID-19 virus?
- To what extent are these new viruses affected by existing treatments and vaccines?
All of these questions will be answered by the studies currently underway.
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