A new coronavirus mutation, originally discovered in the UK, could spark a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Santiago Mas-Coma, an expert of the World Health Organization (WHO) and President of the International Federation of Tropical Medicine, told Lente.ru about this.
Mas-Coma stressed that it is now too late to try to stop the spread of a new species of SARS-CoV-2, cases of which have already been recorded in several countries in Europe, Asia and North America. “This new strain is likely to be the cause of the third wave of the pandemic in Europe,” the scientist said.
He recalled that the mutant strain discovered in Italy in February triggered the first wave of the pandemic outside of China. However, some studies indicate that the second wave of the pandemic in Europe began due to a strain that was spreading among migrant fruit pickers in northern Spain, the expert noted. “This second wave, which we are still experiencing, began even before the end of the first. Thus, the third wave can also overlap with the second, ”Mas-Koma stressed.
The scientist noted that one or two point mutations occur in the genome of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus per month, which is less than that of the influenza virus. However, according to the expert, at the moment there is no one hundred percent certainty about how the new mutation will affect the effectiveness of vaccines, and full-fledged research on this issue may take several weeks.
Humanity continues to succumb to the virus, Mas-Coma said, and we have yet to see if vaccines can slow its spread. “If they even help to reduce the number of severe cases and mortality, then this will already be an important step forward,” the expert said. “It remains to be seen how often vaccinated people will need to be boosted and whether this will vary depending on the drug.”
A dangerous mutation of the coronavirus was first discovered in the UK in September, but it began to spread actively in December. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new strain could be 70 percent more infectious. The mutation affected the area of the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus, which is responsible for attaching to cells located in the mucous membrane of the lungs and a number of other organs.
