By Holly Ellyatt -
CNBC
The United Kingdom is investigating a recently discovered delta variant mutation that is already present in the United States as well, amid concerns that it could make the coronavirus even more transmissible and weaken vaccines.
In any case, there are still many unknowns about this descendant or
subtype of the delta variant,
officially known as AY.4.2 but which some are calling delta plus.
UK health authorities have said it is too early to know whether the mutation poses a greater public health risk than the delta variant, which in turn is significantly more infectious than the original strain of COVID-19.
[FDA Authorizes Booster Dose of Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Vaccines]
But they have indicated that they are monitoring the mutation very closely - it now
accounts for 6% of UK COVID-19 cases
that have been genetically sequenced, at a time when infections in the country are increasing rapidly again.
Here's what we know, and what we don't know, about the variant:
What is the new variant?
Viruses are constantly mutating, and the coronavirus that emerged in China in late 2019 has gone through multiple minor variations that have made it more infectious and efficient in its spread.
[A government laboratory believes it is possible that the coronavirus escaped from a Chinese scientific facility]
This was first seen with the alpha variant (first sequenced in the UK), which went on to spread globally before being replaced by the even more transmissible delta variant, first discovered in India.
34% of the US population has not had a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine
Oct. 19, 202100: 26
The delta variant, which was described as "worrisome" by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May, remains the dominant one worldwide.
But last Friday the UK Health Security Agency issued a report stating that "the expansion in England of a delta sublineage recently designated as AY.4.2 has been observed."
The agency said it was monitoring the subtype, which includes mutations in the spike protein (A222V and Y145H) that the coronavirus uses to enter our cells.
Why is it under surveillance?
The AY.4.2 variant is being identified in an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the UK, with some suggesting that it could be a factor in the country's growing health crisis that has prompted some doctors to call for it to be re-impose restrictions.
[This is how the mysterious mutations that make the delta variant so dangerous work. And it's going to get worse]
“This sublineage is currently increasing in frequency,” said the Health Security Agency last week, noting that “in the week that began on September 27, 2021 (the last week with complete sequencing data) it represented about 6% of all the sequences generated, in a growing trajectory ”.
New York COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate Expansion Announced
Oct. 20, 202102: 30
The UK is currently experiencing a long and worrying spike in cases, with between 40,000 and 50,000 new infections a day in the last week, prompting experts to wonder why the UK is so vulnerable.
[Biden asks states to award $ 100 to those who get vaccinated and forces federal employees to get immunized]
The delta subtype is reportedly 10-15% more transmissible than the standard delta variant, but it is too early to say for sure whether it has caused a spike in cases.
Because it is important?
Although AY.4.2 is being monitored, it has not been classified as a "variant under investigation" or a "variant of concern" by the WHO, that is, it has not been identified as having genetic changes that are expected to affect the characteristics of the viruses such as transmissibility, severity of disease, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape.
It has also not been confirmed to cause significant community transmission or multiple clusters of COVID-19.
Even so, this situation could change after a longer follow-up and if it continues to be sequenced in an increasing number of cases.
"I'm ready": parents anxiously await approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for their children
Oct. 20, 202101: 50
Finding a potentially more transmissible variant is important because it could cause more cases among the unvaccinated.
Much of the world remains unvaccinated (only 3% of people in the poorest countries have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to Our World in Data), while in developed countries they are increasingly seen cases of "breakthroughs" as immunity against COVID-19 declines about six months after being fully vaccinated.
A more infectious variant could undermine the efficacy of the vaccine, although there is no indication that this is the case yet with AY.4.2.
What do the experts say?
Health authorities remain calm regarding the delta subtype for now, pointing out that it is essential to be vigilant about the mutation, but without panicking.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, in English), Rochelle Walensky, indicated Wednesday that, "in particular, the AY.4.2 variant has attracted attention in recent days."
He added: "We have occasionally identified this sublineage here in the United States, but not with a recent increase in frequency or clustering, to date."
Gheorghe Apostol receives the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Northampton, England, on October 21, 2021.ANDREW BOYERS / REUTERS
Israel also said it had confirmed a case of variant AY.4.2, in an 11-year-old boy who entered the country through Ben Gurion airport.
Russia said Thursday that it had recorded isolated cases of variant AY.4.2.
It is unknown to what extent, if any, the subtype has been found in continental Europe.
The official spokesman for the British Government called for calm on Tuesday, assuring Sky News: "It is something that we are monitoring very closely."
He stressed in any case that there is still no evidence to suggest that this variant spreads more easily.
"We will not hesitate to take action if necessary," he added.
British officials are very reluctant to reimpose the restrictions, despite calls from healthcare professionals to do so, as hospitals face saturation in demand as winter approaches.
Los Angeles Firefighters March Against City's COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate
Oct. 21, 202101: 28
Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, which helped develop the vaccine for AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, said Wednesday that the delta subvariant will not change the landscape.
"The discovery of new variants is of course important to monitor, but it does not indicate that this new variant is going to be the next to replace the delta," Pollard told British public radio.
"In fact, even if it does, the delta is incredibly good at transmitting in a vaccinated population and a new one may be a bit better, but it is unlikely to dramatically change the landscape from where we are today," he added.
This child disguises himself as Spiderman to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Argentina
Oct. 20, 202102: 38
For his part, the professor of immunology at Imperial College London, Danny Altmann, declared on Monday that the subtype "must be watched and, as far as possible, carefully controlled".
“Given that delta has now been the dominant mutant variant in various regions for about six months and has not been displaced by any other variant, the hope has been that delta perhaps represented [the] maximum mutation yield achievable by the virus.
AY.4 can start to question that, ”he warned.