While the effective vaccine has brought us the message of liberation from the corona epidemic, a new type of corona has become a major concern around the world. After the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, mutations in our neighboring countries India and New York have given rise to new types of corona and are spreading rapidly in different countries of the world. The new type of UK alone has spread to more than 90 countries around the world.
Coronavirus is an M-RNA virus and it is natural that mutations will occur here. Although most mutations are not a cause for concern; But when mutations occur in spike proteins and dangerous characteristic changes in the virus, it becomes a cause for great concern. The first such outbreak occurred in the United Kingdom. The new type of infectious disease in the UK is high and more than 35 per cent lethal.
The new type created in Brazil and South Africa is even more frightening. South African type ‘B-1.351’ can bypass our body’s immunity. As a result, the new vaccine may affect the effectiveness of the vaccine, and those who have been infected before are more likely to be infected again. So far, the South African species has spread to 47 countries and is a threat to the world. There are some similarities between the new strains / types recently identified in India and those found in South Africa. Due to the presence of mutations in the E484K, there is a strong possibility that the new type of India will have a ‘strategy to avoid resistance’. On the other hand, a new type of corona detected in New York in the United States has recently caused concern. New York’s new genre is spreading relatively fast due to its ability to replicate itself quickly.
Many questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the currently available vaccine on new types of corona. It is reassuring to know that all vaccines currently available in the UK are effective. But the biggest concern is the type created in South Africa or Brazil. Due to the presence of mutations in the E484K, the new type found in South Africa has a ‘resistance avoidance strategy’. As a result, our body’s immune system cannot easily detect and inactivate the virus.
A recent clinical trial found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was not effective against the new South African strain. That’s why the South African government has decided not to give its people the Oxford vaccine. However, it is difficult to comment on the effectiveness of the vaccines currently available in India. However, it is thought that the vaccine may be less effective.
Hopefully, pharmaceutical companies are working tirelessly to improve their vaccines to counter the new type of corona. In this case, just as Moderna plans to develop an effective booster dose against the new strain, Oxford also hopes to be able to deliver an effective vaccine against the South African strain by October.
What to do to prevent new types
There is no evidence of any dangerous presence of corona in Bangladesh yet. The vaccine that we Bangladeshis are getting is effective against the infected coronavirus in our country. However, Bangladesh needs to take necessary steps to prevent the infiltration of new species. For this, it is important to identify the risky countries and make quarantine mandatory for those who will enter Bangladesh from those countries. Second, Bangladesh should do more genome sequencing so that the ‘more contagious strain’ entering Bangladesh from other countries can be quickly identified. Especially if someone is re-infected with corona or after being vaccinated, they need to have their genome sequenced. The World Health Organization has suggested increasing the number of sequencing worldwide.
Dr. Shahriar Mohammad Rosen is a public health expert and senior policy analyst working in Canada.
Dr. Nazif Mahboob is a research and policy analyst at the Center for Research, Innovation and Development Action in Canada.