Hindi Tamil Telugu
    More
    In the news
    Narendra Modi
    Amit Shah
    Box Office Collection
    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
    OTT releases
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    User Placeholder

    Hi,

    Logout

    India
    Business
    World
    Politics
    Sports
    Technology
    Entertainment
    Auto
    Lifestyle
    Inspirational
    Career
    Bengaluru
    Delhi
    Mumbai

    Download Android App

    Follow us on
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    Home / News / Technology News / Coronavirus mutation: Here's what we know about the new strain
    Next Article
    Coronavirus mutation: Here's what we know about the new strain

    Coronavirus mutation: Here's what we know about the new strain

    By Siddhant Pandey
    Dec 21, 2020
    08:35 pm

    What's the story

    As the vaccine for COVID-19 had just started rolling out, the worrisome news of the coronavirus mutating has started circulating.

    Nearly a year into the pandemic, which has sickened 76.8 million and killed 1.7 million, the United Kingdom has reported a mutated strain of the coronavirus which is up to "70% more transmissible."

    Here's what we know about this new strain.

    Mutation

    What is the new strain?

    The UK variant of the virus has about 20 mutations, including many that impact how the virus infects human cells.

    Dr. Muge Cevik—an infectious disease expert at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and a scientific advisor to the British government—told The New York Times that these mutations might make the virus more contagious.

    Scientists had previously thought that the virus was stable.

    You're
    11%
    through

    Impact

    UK tightens lockdown; European nations block British travelers

    Given the rise in infections concerning the new variant in London and surrounding areas, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed the most stringent lockdown since March.

    "When the virus changes its method of attack, we must change our method of defense," he said.

    Thousands scrambled to leave London as European countries started sealing their borders for travelers from the UK.

    You're
    22%
    through

    Transmissibility

    Is the new strain more transmissible?

    UK officials have said that the virus is as much as 70% more transmissible.

    However, Dr. Cevik told NYT that this might just be due to human behavior. A year into the pandemic, people have become laxer about precautions.

    Dr. Cevik also said that the officials' claim of the new strain being more transmissible is based on modeling, not lab experiments.

    You're
    33%
    through

    Information

    South Africa agrees human behavior could be driving pandemic

    In South Africa, where a similar version of the virus has emerged, scientists said that the apparent higher transmissibility might be due to human behavior. "Overall, I think we need to have a little bit more experimental data," Dr. Cevik said.

    You're
    44%
    through

    Concerns

    Is it something to worry about?

    While the scientific community should definitely keep an eye on the virus mutating, experts say, it could take years before the virus can evolve enough to leave the current vaccines powerless.

    For instance, even influenza—which evolves quickly—takes up to five-seven years to mutate enough to evade the immune system, Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, told NYT.

    You're
    55%
    through

    Quote

    'Mutations not going to be like an on-off switch'

    Dr. Bloom said, "No one should worry that there is going to be a single catastrophic mutation that suddenly renders all immunity and antibodies useless."

    "It is going to be a process that occurs over the time scale of multiple years and requires the accumulation of multiple viral mutations," he added. "It's not going to be like an on-off switch."

    You're
    66%
    through

    Vaccines

    What does it mean for vaccines?

    The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines notably induce an immune response to the spike protein present on the virus surface.

    However, each infected person produces a large, complex collection of antibodies to this protein.

    Kartik Chandran, a virologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, said, "The fact is that you have a thousand big guns pointed at the virus."

    You're
    77%
    through

    Quote

    'Not easy finding genetic solution to antibody specificities'

    Dr. Chandran added, "No matter how the virus twists and weaves, it's not that easy to find a genetic solution that can really combat all these different antibody specificities, not to mention the other arms of the immune response."

    You're
    88%
    through

    Quote

    'Active selection for immune escape in virus would be surprising'

    Emma Hodcroft—a molecular epidemiologist at Switzerland's University of Bern—said, "It would be a little surprising to me if we were seeing active selection for immune escape."

    "In a population that's still mostly naïve, the virus just doesn't need to do that yet," she added, "It's something we want to watch out for in the long term, especially as we start getting more people vaccinated."

    Done!
    Facebook
    Whatsapp
    Twitter
    Linkedin
    Related News
    Latest
    South Africa
    Boris Johnson
    Coronavirus
    Moderna Inc

    Latest

    'Idly Kadai,' 'Kuberaa,' 'Kalam': Check Dhanush's blockbuster lineup Dhanush
    Mohammad Abbas clocks his 49th five-wicket haul in FC cricket County Cricket
    IPL 2025, DC beat PBKS: Presenting Player of the Day Delhi Capitals (DC)
    'Criminal Justice' S04: Cast, plot, and release details Pankaj Tripathi

    South Africa

    Watch: Under-13 cricketer in Hong Kong bowling like Jasprit Bumrah Cricket: News, Stats and more!
    Cyclone Idai hits Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi; 150 killed, 1.5mn affected Zimbabwe
    Indian Navy rescued over 192 people in cyclone-hit Mozambique: MEA Ministry Of External Affairs
    Mitchell Starc sues insurance company over IPL contract payment Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

    Boris Johnson

    Prisoners escape in Hurricane Irma-hit British islands, hunt is on Emmanuel Macron
    After Irma, powerful Hurricane Maria proceeding towards the Caribbean Puerto Rico
    British PM May proposes two-year transition period post 2019 Brexit Theresa May
    Russian spy: Nerve gas used to kill Sergei Skripal Russia News

    Coronavirus

    #CoronavirusImpact: Formal sector's wages fell by 3.6%, informal sector's 22.6% India
    People not wearing masks are violating rights of others: SC Supreme Court Of India
    India Inc. hit most by malware attacks after US, Japan United States of America
    Travel related stocks jump, shares of IRCTC climb by 14% SpiceJet

    Moderna Inc

    Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine gets FDA nod for phase 2 trial Oxford University
    Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine shows 'positive' results in human trials United States of America
    Why the vaccine for COVID-19 is still several months away Moderna Therapeutics
    Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine: When will it be available? COVID-19
    Indian Premier League (IPL) Celebrity Hollywood Bollywood UEFA Champions League Tennis Football Smartphones Cryptocurrency Upcoming Movies Premier League Cricket News Latest automobiles Latest Cars Upcoming Cars Latest Bikes Upcoming Tablets
    About Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact Us Ethical Conduct Grievance Redressal News News Archive Topics Archive Download DevBytes Find Cricket Statistics
    Follow us on
    Facebook Twitter Linkedin
    All rights reserved © NewsBytes 2025