New Strain of Corona Virus – Myths and facts

A new strain of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom (UK) and has forced several countries to suspend flights to Britain. By November, around a quarter of cases in London were of the new variant. However, by mid December, nearly two-thirds of cases in London were of the new virus.

Over the last one week, the number of cases in London doubled, with at least 60 percent of the infections being from this strain.

What is New Variant called?
New variant has been named ‘VUI – 2020/01,’ (the first Variant Under Investigation in December 2020) Some experts say it was first discovered in September 2020.

What has caused the New Variant?
Variant has been caused by mutation in the ‘spike’ protein. New Change in the spike protein enhances the ability of virus to latch to AcE 2 receptiors in cells more easily, making virus more infectious.

Is it more dangerous?
“There is no evidence the variant causes more severe illness or higher mortality, but it does appear to be passed on significantly more easily. New variant may be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the old one.” said UK PM Boris Johnson.

Why so much of panic if new variant when it does not cause more severe disease?

There is no evidence that new variant is more likely to cause severe disease or mortality But since it affects faster it may involve larger number of people increasing load on Health care facilities and proportionately more number of deaths in society. Though death rate may remain same.

How to save oneself from this new variant?
The way to control this virus is the same, whatever the variant. It will not spread if we avoid close contact with others. Wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your distance from others, and reduce your social contacts.

What WHO has to say on mutations?
“It is normal for viruses to change. When a virus replicates or makes copies of itself, it sometimes changes a little bit. These changes are called ‘mutations’. The virus with the new mutation(s) is called a ‘variant’ of the original virus. Some viruses change fast and others more slowly. SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, changes more slowly than others viruses such as HIV or influenza viruses. This is in part due to the fact that SARS-CoV-2 has an internal ‘proofreading mechanism’ which corrects mistakes when it makes copies of itself,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Note : Dr Ranjan Kumar & Dr Naveen Verma , Senior Consultants, Emergency & Trauma Jaypee Hospital & Dr Siddharth Gupta Senior Health Care Advisor Anti Corona Task Force