Emerging COVID-19 Variants

By Amber Stickney Last updated Mar 13, 2021

An up close look at the new COVID-19 variant that is starting to enter various parts of the U.S.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the worldwide effort to fight COVID-19, concerns are growing about the emergence of variants to the COVID-19 virus. Medical experts have indicated that mutations and changes that result in virus variants are to be expected. As a result, the emergence of Coronavirus variants has been anticipated. John Hopkins Medicine has indicated that “all RNA viruses mutate over time,” which is one of the reasons why flu vaccines are distributed to people every year.

Professor Abdelwahab Sinnary, Academic Director of the Kenya Semester Program at St. Lawrence University, says, “Like all living organisms, viruses continuously undergo mutations which result in a slight change in the gene composition in one or more loci, and most of these new variants don’t result in any noticeable change in the virus’s biology or its ability to infect people. However, a few variants could enhance the virus’s ability to spread, cause severe disease, or compromise the immune system of the people they infect; these are the ones that concern us the most.”

Since the first detection of the Coronavirus in China, we have observed the introduction of variants in Brazil, California, South Africa, and other countries. Fortunately, it looks as though vaccines that are currently being distributed and tested may provide protection from severe forms of disease in the South African variant. Although this seems promising, we must continue to research the implications variants have on the success of vaccines, because the ones currently used against the original strain may be less effective against the emerging strains.

Some strains, like that of England, appear to be much more contagious. This may be a direct result of the strain’s spike protein, which allows them to attach to human cells with a much stronger bond than the original strain. Sinnary states that the possibility of an accelerated infection rate “in turn requires the adoption of more stringent protection measures; but people are already tired of these measures, lockdowns, and declining economies. The treatment regimen applicable to old variants may not fully apply in the case of the new variants, thus resulting in more severe illness and a higher rate of death”. However, Sinnary did suggest that it may be feasible to incorporate such variants when new vaccine batches are manufactured.

Last week, the third developing variant in Brazil, P.1, was seen in five U.S. states; Alaska, FL, MD, MN, and OK. This variant has been mutating since the end of 2020, after people assumed that Brazil had achieved herd immunity, due to the country’s drop in cases. However, The New York Times reported that by the end of 2020, cases began to surge once again. These cases rose in numbers much higher than that of the previous peak. At the same time, we saw these same trends with the B.1.1.7 strain in Britain. Researchers began to recognize that the Brazil strain was able to reinfect people, which is not normal for Coronavirus. Typically, it is noted that the antibodies that develop as a result of the first infection of Coronavirus yield potent protection for months at a time—but this was not the case with the new variant, raising new concerns for emerging variants around the world.

As of the beginning of this week, the first detection of the South African variant in the U.S. was identified in a child who lives in MI. This variant first developed in October of 2020 in South Africa and is said to be more contagious. This becomes increasingly concerning to the U.S. due to the lifting of restrictions in many states, which could lead to a variant-driven surge, as stated by The Washington Post. This concern will grow as we approach spring break season, and people begin travelling for their vacations.

Mask mandates in Texas were lifted just last week, in which it is not a requirement of public establishments to require patrons to wear masks. Experts worry that officials are letting their guards down too soon, as only 18.1% of the U.S. population has had the first vaccine, and only 9.4% have had both doses, as stated by up-to-date data collected by NPR. We also observe that only 79% of the doses available end up being used, and the other 21% end up being wasted, because the voluntary demand for vaccinations is not increasing. The U.S. hopes to see a sharp increase in vaccinations, as the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine was approved for emergency use on Feb. 27. This vaccine will only require one administered injection, but is only 66% effective in preventing COVID-19. That being said, we still urge our citizens to receive that vaccine because studies show that it is 100% effective in preventing death and extremely effective in preventing severe cases.

When grasping an understanding for what a variant is, and coming to terms with the situation that we must face with the emergence of variants, it is important to note that we may not be able to get rid of the Coronavirus, as Sinnary acknowledges, but that “we can live with it, the same way we do with the common cold. Our ability to do so depends very much on vaccinating as many people as possible globally, in order to achieve global herd immunity which requires vaccinating at least two thirds of the world population.” This will take a global effort, and communication between not only states, but countries and continents. We also must recognize that “hoarding [of the vaccines] by the richer nations will only result in the emergence of new variants in poor countries, and exportation of them to the richer countries who will be forced to deal with them and continue to not share the vaccine with the poor countries,” something Sinnary says would lead to a “vicious circle characterized by continued lockdowns, declining economies, and an escalating expenditure on vaccines.” We must remain vigilant and patient, while not forgetting that we do have solutions to the problems that we have yet to face. This is not the first virus that we have been able to manage, and we will eventually get there. It requires the sustenance of faith in our medical experts and diligence of our citizens! Mask up and get vaccinated if you qualify!