Covid - Kent strain mutates to South African strain...

ChrisTheRed

ChrisTheRed

Well-known member
Well I never...

Surely a mutation wouldn't be region specific in something like this?

Oh and it might mean the vaccine is useless and that it can be caught again.

Good times.

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Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret said:
It does not mean the vaccine is useless. Absolutely no one has said that. These are very grim times we are living through. I wish people would think a bit more about what they are posting and the impact it could have on people.
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Agreed. It's hard to tell whether people are just on the wind-up sometimes.

Until there are a significant number of people who are getting re-infected with either of these new strains then I think we are mostly fine. It is worrying, and something to be aware of, but to post things like the original poster did, with no proof or evidence of anything, is reckless at best. The media don't help either with their sensationalist headlines.
 
Dr Julian W Tang, Honorary Associate Professor/Clinical Virologist at the University of Leicester, said:

“The South African variant (B.1.351 or 501Y.V2) differs significantly from the UK B.1.1.7(variant) in several ways that may impact on vaccine effectiveness.

“Both variants share the N501Y mutation in the viral S gene which lies in the receptor binding domain (RBD) – where the virus binds to the host cell – and where vaccine-induced antibodies bind to the virus. But the South African variant has two more mutations – E484K and K417N – in this RBD region that are absent in the UK variant. These two additional mutations may interfere more with vaccine effectiveness in the South African variant than in the UK variant.

“This does not mean that the existing COVID-19 vaccines will not work at all, just that the antibodies induced by the current vaccines may not bind and neutralise the South African variant as well as it would the other circulating viruses – including the UK variant.

“Even if the South African variant becomes more widespread and dominant, the mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) and adenovirus-vectored (Oxford-Astrazeneca and Russian Sputnik V) vaccines can be modified to be more close-fitting and effective against this variant in a few months."
 
The information that has been coming out is that the vaccines are effective, but less so. Given they have such a high efficacy rating to begin with and the promising results from Israel there is little need to panic.
 
Carlos Fandango said:
Dr Julian W Tang, Honorary Associate Professor/Clinical Virologist at the University of Leicester, said:

“The South African variant (B.1.351 or 501Y.V2) differs significantly from the UK B.1.1.7(variant) in several ways that may impact on vaccine effectiveness.

“Both variants share the N501Y mutation in the viral S gene which lies in the receptor binding domain (RBD) – where the virus binds to the host cell – and where vaccine-induced antibodies bind to the virus. But the South African variant has two more mutations – E484K and K417N – in this RBD region that are absent in the UK variant. These two additional mutations may interfere more with vaccine effectiveness in the South African variant than in the UK variant.

“This does not mean that the existing COVID-19 vaccines will not work at all, just that the antibodies induced by the current vaccines may not bind and neutralise the South African variant as well as it would the other circulating viruses – including the UK variant.

“Even if the South African variant becomes more widespread and dominant, the mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) and adenovirus-vectored (Oxford-Astrazeneca and Russian Sputnik V) vaccines can be modified to be more close-fitting and effective against this variant in a few months."
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There are an awful lot of "may's" in the less than insightful piece.
 
To be fair there are numerous reports that it may have mutated into the Brazilian variant and they are unsure how effective the current vaccines will be against it
 
Carlos Fandango said:
Dr Julian W Tang, Honorary Associate Professor/Clinical Virologist at the University of Leicester, said:

“The South African variant (B.1.351 or 501Y.V2) differs significantly from the UK B.1.1.7(variant) in several ways that may impact on vaccine effectiveness.

“Both variants share the N501Y mutation in the viral S gene which lies in the receptor binding domain (RBD) – where the virus binds to the host cell – and where vaccine-induced antibodies bind to the virus. But the South African variant has two more mutations – E484K and K417N – in this RBD region that are absent in the UK variant. These two additional mutations may interfere more with vaccine effectiveness in the South African variant than in the UK variant.

“This does not mean that the existing COVID-19 vaccines will not work at all, just that the antibodies induced by the current vaccines may not bind and neutralise the South African variant as well as it would the other circulating viruses – including the UK variant.

“Even if the South African variant becomes more widespread and dominant, the mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) and adenovirus-vectored (Oxford-Astrazeneca and Russian Sputnik V) vaccines can be modified to be more close-fitting and effective against this variant in a few months."
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The OP has linked to a report on a Kent E484K mutation, which originated from a PHE technical paper and is being widely reported. Tang is now more concerned:

Dr Julian Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester, says this is “a worrying development, though not entirely unexpected”. He says:
If this E484K mutation is acquired by most of the UK B117 variants – the recent reassurances from recent studies showing that the mRNA vaccines will still offer optimum protection against the original UK variant – may no longer apply.
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Having previously posted about my fears in a panic and then having a think after the event I think that now isn't the time to worry. We need to see how these new strains react when we lift lockdown measures with a significant part of the population vaccinated. It could go one of two ways but I hope that we just bosh these vaccines out ASAP and then that gives us the best shot.
 
May, could, might. Time and time again tbe experts speculate and the government jump the gun, making announcements based on incomplete data or even quoting advisory groups that then turn round and say the data is incomplete.

I expect nothing less than mass hysteria when someone even coughs on the other side of the globe these days.

If this is true though then you won’t be able to get ahead of the mutations in terms of vaccinations, it will be like painting the forth bridge. You will be reliant on the virus mutating to the point where it doesn’t harm people. If you lock down indefinitely because of a mutation then this will be the norm for life. Save lives and protect the NHS for the next decade? there won’t be a NHS left. Welcome to the great equaliser, welcome to the third world.
 
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People are all too quick to jump on something without giving it thought and well bash me all you want but at least I read about it. I can't help that you dont want to hear it.
 
MolteniArcore said:
Having previously posted about my fears in a panic and then having a think after the event I think that now isn't the time to worry. We need to see how these new strains react when we lift lockdown measures with a significant part of the population vaccinated. It could go one of two ways but I hope that we just bosh these vaccines out ASAP and then that gives us the best shot.
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Lockdown isn't getting lifted this year.

Sky News running a yellow barrier at the bottom saying new variant may avoid immune system.

Isn't it a coincidence that as soon as cases start dropping drastically they go out door to door to hunt for more cases.

Interestingly

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