New Coronavirus Strain In Britain: What’s Currently Known

How is this COVID strain different?

This specific variation of Covid-19 dubbed 'VUI – 202012/01' was first identified in the UK in mid-September according to the World Health Organization. Its mutations have occurred in the genetic material that controls the spike protein - this is the key coronaviruses use to penetrate host cells and cause infection. According to the UK’s chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance, there are 23 changes in the virus’s genetic material, an unusually large number. 

An empty Piccadilly Circus, London

Are coronavirus mutations common?

In general, it is not unusual for viruses to pick up small genetic changes and mutate as they move through a host population. “Viruses that encode their genome in RNA, such as SARS-CoV-2, HIV, and influenza, tend to pick up mutations quickly as they are copied inside their hosts because enzymes that copy RNA are prone to making errors,” explained Nature writer Ewen Callaway.

Scientists have been tracking minor changes in the genetic code of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. At least 1.000 variants have been detected so far, but the changes in the spike protein make the specific strain found in southeast England the first to make the novel coronavirus more infectious.

How will the vaccine rollout be impacted by the new strain?

According to Vallance, this new strain will not affect the vaccination process that has already begun earlier this month, as the strain is not resistant to the vaccine. “Our working assumption from all the scientists is that the vaccine response should be adequate for this virus,” he said in a briefing on Sunday.

All three leading vaccines develop an immune response against the existing spike. Vaccines train the immune system to attack several different parts of the virus, so even though part of the virus has mutated, the vaccines should still be effective. However, microbiologists who spoke with NBC News shared concerns that although that is true for the time being, there is a risk of the virus eventually growing to be vaccine-resistant.

“Whilst it may not be actually resistant, it may not take so many changes after this for it to get there,” said Ravindra Gupta, a professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge. That would put us in a situation similar to the flu, where the vaccine needs to be regularly updated as the virus continues to adapt. Fortunately, according to the BBC, the vaccine we have is very easy to tweak.
 

Is this strain active anywhere outside of Britain?

It isn’t clear whether the strain emerged in a patient in the UK or has been imported from a country with a lower ability to monitor the coronavirus. It can be found across the UK, but it is heavily concentrated in London, the South East, and eastern England. Several cases have been detected in Denmark, Australia, and the Netherlands, probably coming from the UK. 

A similar strain has emerged in South Africa. Although it shares up to 90 percent of the mutations found in the UK variant, evidence suggests that the two variations have emerged separately, according to molecular epidemiologist Emma Hodcroft.