New variant of COVID-19 could be the most dangerous yet

When everything seemed to be heading for us to finally leave the mask at home for good, a new variant of COVID-19 was discovered in South Africa. Taking the provisional name of B.1.1529, experts already believe that this new strain may be one of the most dangerous ever discovered and there is a risk that the vaccination schedule is compromised worldwide.

With more than 50 mutations registered, the World Health Organization (OMS) will be holding a meeting to find out how the fight will be carried out and a fourth wave does not happen. But the mere discovery of this new variant of COVID-19 has already had a major impact on the stock market and the price of oil. Understand right now.

The new strain: what is it?

Because it is a virus and not a bacterium, the COVID-19 It manages to evolve according to the place in which it is circulating, creating what experts call a strain. In short, this is a unique new version of the virus that may have many mutations and new studies need to be carried out.

Also known as a strain, a new strain – which can also be called a variant if it has the same characteristics as the viruses we know about – of COVID-19 may be more dangerous or weaker than the version we know about. But, generally, it is always more fatal than those that specialists understand and know how to fight, precisely because it is an evolution.

Experts claim that all strains are variants, but that not all variants are strains. That's because if the "new version of the virus" has a unique genetic material and way of acting that has not been seen before, then it is inserted into a new group so that the studies can be carried out.

The new variant of COVID-19 first appeared in Botswana and for now, it takes the name of B.1.1529. This version of the virus can be considered a strain due to its severity and genetic material not being known to health experts. And the risk of a fourth wave of the pandemic is real, as it is not yet known how this plays out.

Variant x strain

When epidemiologists speak the name variant instead of strain, it means that the new mutations are replicas of the original virus that was discovered earlier. Although many people think that each variant is a strain, this is not true. Especially because the strains are groups that have unique characteristics and are indeed related to the original virus. But scientists put them in separate groups to understand more about the new mutations.

A variant can have many mutations, and not all of them can be truly fatal or cause problems in a site's vaccination schedule. However, it is important to know how this behaves within our body so that measures can be taken. One fact is certain: as the vaccines that we have available in the world were developed to fight the strain of the virus that first appeared in Wuhan, the China, everything could be at risk.

 “The new strain is an unusual constellation of mutations and is very different from other types that have already circulated. This variant surprised us by taking a huge leap forward in evolution with many more mutations than we expected.”

Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Center for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa.

There are mutations that are beneficial, harmful and neutral. The big key point that determines whether a variant is really dangerous is the amount of protein. Spike. The strain that first appeared in Botswana has 30 units of this protein in its composition, being completely different from the virus that first appeared in 2019 in China.

Where were new COVID-19 variant cases recorded?

The first case of B.1.1529 was registered in Botswana, country in southern Africa, on the 11th of November. But it is only in the last few days that the world has become aware of the real risk of a fourth wave of the pandemic. In about sixteen days, 84 cases have been registered due to the new variant of COVID-19. 77 of the confirmations are from South Africa, which means that the new strain is circulating between countries. Four of them are from Botswana.

Two people people who traveled from the African continent to Lithuania, Vilnius have also been diagnosed with B.1.1529. A Belgian who was traveling to the Egypt and didn't go through South Africa was also diagnosed with the new version of the virus. If before it was in only one region of the world, the new variant of COVID-19 has already claimed victims from three different continents.

Low vaccination may have influenced circulation of new strain

Because COVID-19 having a virus that mutates over time, there is no clear reason why this variant arose. Scientists know that B.1.1529 was derived from a person who did not recover from COVID-19, as a result of poor treatment.

However, low vaccination in South Africa, which currently stands at 24%, may explain why so many cases were discovered in such a short period of time. Remembering that vaccines against COVID-19 do not prevent infection, but help prevent hospitalizations and deaths.

This means that countries that have a higher percentage of the population with full vaccination may not have as many cases and the new strain may not be as serious. However, it is important for science to study the B.1.1529 to give us the final answer. Not much is yet known about the severity or infectivity, due to cases having emerged in recent days.

There is information that this new version may be worse than the delta variant due to having more than 50 mutations, 10 of which come in direct contact with our body. For comparison, the delta variant has only two mutations that act in this way. For this reason, it is important that the cases are controlled and that the studies advance to know more about this new variant of the COVID-19.

B.1.1529 has already impacted the stock exchange

As you know, the COVID-19 caused a major recession in the world economy and only now that everything was adjusting for profits to happen again. However, with the discovery of a new variant of COVID-19, several countries are already closing their airports to prevent the new strain from spreading further.

O United Kingdomo for example, already banned flights arriving from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Another country that took measures against the new strain was Israel, which no longer accepts flights that are coming in from Africa as a way to prevent its citizens from getting sick.

This caused a 3% drop in the stock markets of the United Kingdom, which saw the travel market grow again at the end of the year. O Brazil continues to receive trips from the African continent and considers it unnecessary to present a vaccination passport for tourists. THE Anvisa already recommended that the Federal government adopt measures and restrictions for people who are coming from part of the Africa.

“If the new variant hits energy demand, we could see a reduction in electricity prices, which could tame inflationary pressures and help central banks adopt a more 'dovish' line (of monetary easing) than they would otherwise in the year. next. Risks look skewed to the downside before we see a slowdown in inflation.”

ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst at Swissquote

In addition, the oil market suffered a setback with the discovery of the new strain with the possibility of lower demand. If more countries continue to close their ports and airports, the world economy should regress again. On December 02nd, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and this should be one of the topics to be discussed.

WHO will meet to discuss actions

Already knowing about the problems that the new variant of COVID-19 can cause, the World Health Organization will meet today to decide what will be done so that the contagion does not increase.

Over time, more and more countries in the Africa, Europe e Asia are registering new cases and it is now necessary to devise a strategy so that cases are treated while the number of infected worldwide does not exceed 100. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical leader in the fight against COVID-19 at OMS, tweeted earlier today saying that possible recommendations will be decided so that a fourth wave doesn't happen.

In addition to deciding what will be done to prevent contagion from happening, it is also important to understand how this new variant of COVID-19 behaves in relation to the vaccines we have available. Preliminary studies indicate that immunizing agents produced by Oxford/AstraZeneca had their effectiveness reduced when they were in contact with the new strain, but little is known about the B.1.1529.

A World Health Organization tIt also meets today to find out if the new variant is “of concern” or “of interest”. The VOIs (acronym for Variant of Interest or variant of interest) are not as dangerous as those classified as “variant of concern”, but they indicate that it is important to carry out a follow-up so that everything does not become more dangerous.

Do you think this new strain can be considered a new risk for the whole world or will the control in Africa be done in time? Tell us your opinion Comment!

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Sources: Wire (1 e 2), InfoMoney, UOL, G1, Interesting Engineering e NPR