Second new coronavirus variant worries health experts. Here’s what we know.
Another coronavirus variant that shares some of the same mutations as the B.1.1.7 strain, first identified in the U.K., has begun spreading rapidly after it was first identified in South Africa in mid-December. It has quickly become the predominant variant there, but it has also gained a foothold in other countries, including Brazil, which is experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases.
The new strain, designated 501Y.V2, emerged independently from the U.K. variant, but they both share a few mutations in common, including one that seems to make both these variants more infectious. However, there’s no evidence yet suggesting that they cause more severe disease.
So far, the South African variant has not been detected in the U.S., but top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told Newsweek that he would be surprised if it were not already here, noting that because of international travel, "sooner or later viruses spread throughout the world.”
There have already been a number of new coronavirus strains identified since the start of the pandemic. Mutations are a natural process in a virus’s life cycle, and these changes are not always significant. However, monitoring these changes is crucial to stay one step ahead of the virus and fight it effectively.
There is a lot that is not yet known about the 501Y.V2 strain, but there are a few reasons why it is worrying experts. The new variant carries three mutations in key sites in the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein, which is the “key” the virus uses to gain entry into cells. Some of these changes, especially a mutation called E484K, have been shown to reduce antibody recognition. In other words, the change could make people’s antibodies less effective at neutralizing the virus. This mutation is gaining attention because it may help the virus slip past immune protection from prior infection, as well as from some of the antibody therapeutics being used in the treatment and possibly vaccination, though scientists are still trying to test these hypotheses.
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