| Spike Protein Mockup |
As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) new mutation (B.1.1.529) hit South Africa (South Africa), the number of new confirmed cases in the region jumped about 30 times in the past three weeks.
The new mutation has twice as many mutations as the delta in the surface ‘spike protein’ of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and it is even analyzed that it is five times more contagious. . With the spread of this mutation, movements to strengthen borders around the world are also being detected.
According to foreign media such as CNN, BBC, and Harets on the 26th (local time), the World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency meeting on the same day and identified the B.1.1.529 mutation that is intensively spreading in South Africa as a ‘variant of concern’. and designated as ‘Omicron (Ο)’. Omicron is the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.
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| The status of the spread of mutations in South Africa. The blue graph shows the spread in which B.1.1.529 overwhelms the short-term delta variation. © News1 (Oliveira Twitter) |
◇ WHO “Omicron, spreading faster than any other mutations” concerns
Omicron, said to have been first discovered in Botswana last month, hit South Africa, tearing up the region. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa has risen nearly 30 times from 100 a day on the 8th to 2,828 as of the 26th.
As of the 26th, the mutation has spread to South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong, Belgium and Israel, causing secondary infections.
“This mutation carries a large number of mutations. Preliminary evidence suggests that this mutation may increase the risk of reinfection compared to other mutations,” the WHO said. It is being sensed that it is, and the possibility of further spread is raised.”
At the same time, the health organization urged each country to strengthen monitoring and sequencing efforts, submit related data to the International Influenza Information Sharing Organization (GISAID), comply with the International Health Regulations (IHR), report early cases and clusters, and cooperate with the international community. did.
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| © News1 (WHO) |
◇ Omicron, twice as mutated as delta… “It seems to be more contagious than Delta” warning sound
From the gamma mutation from Brazil to the mu (μ) mutation from South Africa. A number of major mutations have appeared so far, but the reason why Omicron is receiving more attention and concern is that it is said to contain twice as many mutations as the delta mutation that has engulfed the world.
In fact, Omicron has a whopping 32 mutations in its ‘spike protein’, which is twice the number of delta mutations (16).
The virus uses a spike protein coated on the surface of the novel coronavirus, which looks like a crown, to infiltrate host cells. Mutations can alter its ability to spread and limit the effectiveness of the vaccine.
In addition, in the case of the delta mutation, the virus has only two spike protein receptor binding domains (RBDs) that contact and bind body cells, but it is known that the omicron mutation has 10 RBDs.
There is a lot of speculation about how quickly the new mutation will spread and how effective the vaccine will be for the mutant, but experts are concerned that the mutation could be more infective than anything they’ve seen so far.
Eric Feigl-Ding, a former professor at Harvard University’s School of Public Health and a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), said in several tweets that the new mutation could potentially outperform the existing one.
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| Eric Feigl-Ding, a former professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Public Health, US Federation of Scientists (FAS) Senior Fellow Tweet © News1 |
He added a graphic, “A new mutation has the potential to competitively infect more than 500%. It is the most shocking statistic to date.” “The situation is really bad. Not only that, but the old C12 mutation in South Africa is also slowly spreading and replacing the delta.”
Researcher Ding also mentioned the ‘furin-cleavage site’, which is located on the spike protein and is one of the key sites that determine the propagation power of the virus. There is only one mutation,” he emphasized, adding that “the purine site foreshadows trouble.”
Professor Thomas Hertz, an immunologist at Ben-Gurion University in Israel, said, “This mutation included more than 30 mutations in the spike protein alone and about 50 mutations in the entire genome. It has the ability to evade immunity and the ability to infect. It also seems to have increased,” he said.
“A lot of mutations have appeared in the last 5 to 6 months, but most of them have subsided,” said Asish Ja, dean of Brown Health University. did.
The Israeli daily Haretz said, “It is still difficult to estimate at this stage the level of protection against new mutations of existing COVID-19 vaccines. will have a harder time recognizing the profile of a mutation, and they will be less prepared to identify and attack it.”
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| Medical staff stand in front of a train converted into a vaccination center for vaccination against the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the Eastland region of South Africa on August 27 (local time). © Reuters=News1 © News1 Reporter Jiwon Yoon |
◇ “There are still many areas that we don’t know…don’t worry”
On the other hand, there is an opinion that hasty concerns should not be tolerated by some. This is because there are still many unknowns, such as whether it is really more contagious, whether it causes more serious disease, and what effect it will have on vaccine efficacy.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States, said, “People are now saying that this mutation sends a danger signal that can cause big problems, but there are still many things we don’t know. “He said.
Asish Jar, Dean of Brown University, also said, “I do not think this mutation will make vaccination useless. It is extremely unlikely. The question is how much damage will be done to the efficacy of the vaccine. could be,” he said.
Dr Abdul El Sayed, an epidemiologist and public health expert, said: “The concerns are certainly there, but, as the WHO pointed out, we must step back and wait for scientific research.”
Meanwhile, with the spread of Omicron, so far, △UK △Israel △Japan △US △Canada △Hong Kong △EU △Russia △Egypt △United Arab Emirates (UAE) △Turkey have closed their borders for African travelers. started strengthening.
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| As the COVID-19 mutant Omicron is spreading in South Africa, movements to strengthen borders around the world are being captured. © Reuters=News1 © News1 Reporter Jeong Yun-young |
yoonge@news1.kr
