Why does the New York variant worry us so much? - Walla! health

2021-03-05T06:05:15.238Z

To date, three verified cases of the corona strain originating in New York and consisting of two different mutations have been discovered in the country. Is this variant more dangerous, and what does it say about the effectiveness of corona vaccines? Dr. Idan Goren explains

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Why does the New York variant worry us so much?

To date, three verified cases of the corona strain originating in New York and consisting of two different mutations have been discovered in the country.

Is this variant more dangerous, and what does it say about the effectiveness of corona vaccines?

Dr. Idan Goren explains

Is one dose of vaccine really enough for corona recoverers?

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After a year in which the corona plague raged in New York City, information accumulated as of November 2020 identified an alarming increase in morbidity against the background of a new coronavirus virus known as B.1.526.

Two studies published by two groups of researchers from New York examined the characteristics of the variant and its implications regarding the current immunization program and other vaccines on the way.

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Analysis of viral flooring data from verified patient blood tests for corona from New York and its surroundings revealed that between a quarter and a third of cases in two different databases were related to variant B.1.526.

In an attempt to understand the origin of the variant, the virus data were cross-linked with the sites of residence and infection, and researchers were able to identify the specific neighborhoods and communities from which the viruses of this strain spread.

What changes have taken place in the New York Corona variety?

These strains include specific mutations on the spike protein of the virus, the same protein that allows it to penetrate the cells of the infected human body and cause infection more likely.

In fact, the current variant consists of two E484K and S477N mutations, one of which has been previously identified as improving the virus' ability to bind to body cells.

All mutations improved the efficacy of the virus.

Corona virus (Photo: Giphy)

One of the most interesting findings about the new variant is the similarity between the variability of the corona virus around the world.

The New York, Brazilian, South African and British variants include the E484K mutation, indicating that these are mutations that have improved virus efficacy.

Is the New York strain more contagious?

At this stage it is still unclear whether, like the British or South African variants, it is a strain that is more contagious, but from the experience of previous variants it seems that there is a significant chance that the same strain that spread in a short time is also more contagious.

Within a short time, about 735 cases of this variant were confirmed, and they have already spread to over ten other countries in the United States.

Will the vaccine be effective against the New York variant as well?

One of the critical questions at this point in time is whether the variant is likely to be covered by current vaccines.

On the one hand, there is evidence that variants with the E484K mutation (one of the two mutations that make up the New York strain) are less susceptible to vaccines than the virus strain on which they were developed.

On the other hand, in the context of the other two variants, the British and the South African, it was found that two doses of Pfizer's vaccine effectively protect about 90 percent of those vaccinated against these strains as well.

In any case, the effectiveness of the vaccines against the new varietals will be examined in the near future, in light of the understanding that the epidemic and changes in the virus will require follow-up and, if necessary, adjustment and updating of vaccines according to the virus's mutations along the way.