Vietnam has discovered a new mutated strain of the emerging coronavirus “Covid-19”, according to what official media reported yesterday, Saturday, so what do we know about it?
What is it?
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According to Health Minister Nguyen Than Long, the new version is a hybrid of the Indian and British versions of the Coronavirus.
What do we mean by a hybrid strain? What is different from a metamorphic?
Variants are a version of the virus that includes a set of mutations, that is, changes in its genetic material.
And the emergence of mutated copies of the virus is not surprising, but rather natural, because the virus mutates over time to ensure its survival.
As for the hybrid strains (Recombination), they are the result of the mixing of two viruses that branch from an original virus, that is, two different strains of the same virus.
Vincent Marechal, professor of virology at the Sorbonne University, says that all hybrid and mutated viruses are mutations that play the same role, that is, testing all solutions that enable the virus to continue, according to a previous report published by the French newspaper “Leparisien” by the writer Juliette Busson.
The traditional mutated strain is considered a mutation that occurs within the genome of a single virus, but hybrids are more like a type of sexual reproduction of viruses, as it is “the product of the mixing of two viruses branching from an original virus,” according to Marichal’s words.
In order for this process to happen, it is necessary for two viruses to infect the same cell in one patient, and at a very minute moment a replication occurs, and it results in a change in the matrix, so the enzyme responsible for the birth of a new copy secretes a second hybrid virus.
Experts believe that the UK variant is more transmissible than the regular strains, while the Indian variant is more transmissible and the immune system’s antibodies may be less effective with it.
According to a newspaper report in Express Vn Express the genetic sequence conducted by the National Institute of hygiene and epidemiology National Institute Of Hygiene And Epidemiology between that 4 patients at least as “Kovid -19” in the country have a hybrid variant.
“We discovered the deletion of Y 144 Y144 on the spike protein B.1.617.2 (Indian) of the spike protein 16172 B.1.617.2 (Indian). This mutation is similar to that found in the B117 B.1.1.7 strain,” said Lee Thi Quina Mai, vice president of the institute. ).
She also said that such a mutation was not recorded by GISAID, which is a global scientific initiative and a primary source that provides open access to genetic data for influenza viruses and the Corona virus responsible for the “Covid-19” pandemic. She said, therefore, that it needs more monitoring and research.
Long returned to say that the Ministry of Health will announce the new strain of Coronavirus on the global genome map, adding that it has not been named yet. https://www.youtube.com/embed/BAkBYT0SR4c?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=ar&autohide=2&wmode=transparent
What are the most prominent characteristics of the Indian and British dynasties?
The Indian strain of Corona virus is considered a “double mutated” because it carries two disturbing mutations at the level of the spike protein of the emerging corona virus – its scientific name is SARS-CoV-2, which is a protrusion on its cover that allows it to adhere to human cells.
The first mutation, called “E484Q” (E484Q), is suspected to reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine while increasing the risk of reinfection with “Covid-19”. The second mutation is called “L452R” (L452R) and may be able to cause an increase in transmission.
As for the British mutant strain, the most important mutations it contains are:
- 501Y (N501Y): This mutation makes the virus more common.
- 70del-69 (69-70del)
- P681H
How dangerous is the new breed?
According to the Vietnamese Minister of Health Long, “One of the distinguishing features of this version is its rapid transmission through the air. The virus concentration in throat fluids increases rapidly and spreads very strongly in the surrounding environment.”
“Vietnam has discovered a new strain of Covid-19 that combines the characteristics of the two strains observed in India and the United Kingdom… The new strain is very dangerous,” Reuters quoted the minister as saying.
This is a worrying sign, because the ability of any virus to travel faster in the air means that it will be able to infect more people.
Long said culturing the virus in a laboratory revealed that the virus replicated itself very quickly.
The Ministry of Health reported that there were seven known mutated versions of the Coronavirus in Vietnam before Long’s announcement.
More study is needed
Scientists say more study is needed to determine the impact of the “new variable” in the real world, according to a report in the Washington Post.
The American newspaper quoted Todd Pollack, an infectious disease expert in Hanoi at Harvard Medical School, “Many different mutations occur during transmission of the virus and most of them have no clinical significance … just because they say that (the new variable) has features of one and the other .. does not mean that they met Together, in one patient, they released some mixed superviruses. “
Some experts fear that vaccines may be less effective against strains of the Coronavirus that have been discovered in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, and this may apply to any new strain.