A new version of the virus, which has been identified among 38 people, is causing some concern among scientists • Senior healthcare official in the kingdom: "Monitoring changes"
A new mutation that raises concerns
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AFP (illustration)
A new corona virus mutation identified in the UK among 38 people is causing some concern among scientists.
This is a mutation called B.1.525, and what characterizes it are a number of changes that also exist in mutations from South Africa and Brazil, especially in a central one called E484K.
This is a version that has also been discovered in other countries such as the United States, Denmark, and Nigeria, and now British scientists are dealing with the question of how much it should cause concern.
In any case, these are 38 samples taken as early as December and only recently identified, so it must be estimated that the mutation has already spread beyond the first points where it was discovered.
Professor Ravi Gupta of the University of Cambridge, who advises the British government on the various mutations in the country, commented on the new version: Of the mutations we need to test. "
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However the expert reassured the public and noted that "this version is already similar to other types of mutations, so I am not particularly worried because we know more or less what it is and what this version can cause patients".
Professor Ion Doyle of the British Public Health Organization (PHE) added: "We are constantly monitoring and testing for changes in the virus, and if necessary also undergoing medical intervention to locate the new version and thus try to limit it. But at present there is no evidence that it is contagious from the British version. The former or more dangerous. "
The change that raises the concern
The main focus right now is on all the corona virus mutations in the world dealing with one called E484K, this version appears in both the South African mutation and the Brazilian corona mutation.
Professor Gupta refers to this version and notes that "in the laboratory it has been proven that E484K, indeed, poses a challenge for the vaccine, and it manages to survive more relative to the original corona virus".
However, in the scientific world it is believed that a new version of the virus that completely defeats the vaccines has not yet appeared, but mainly there are versions that make it difficult.
Professor Andrew Hayward, an expert in epidemiology at University College London, reassures that "at the moment the new version does not seem to be spreading as fast as the British mutation, it is at very low levels in the population and it is a sedative siren. In any case, if necessary "But the most important thing is to follow all the changes in the virus in order to keep your hand on the pulse."
