COVID-19 News and Discussions

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

Covid: New heavily mutated variant B.1.1.529 in South Africa raises concern

20 minutes ago

We're back in familiar territory - growing concern about a new variant of coronavirus.

The latest form is the most heavily mutated version discovered so far - and it has such a long list of mutations that it was described by one scientist as "horrific".

The confirmed cases are mostly concentrated in one province in South Africa, but there are hints it may have spread further.

Immediately there are questions around how quickly the new variant spreads, its ability to bypass some of the protection given by vaccines and what should be done about it.

The variant is called B.1.1.529 and is likely to be given a Greek code-name (like the Alpha and Delta variants) by the World Health Organization on Friday.

It is also incredibly heavily mutated. Prof Tulio de Oliveira, the director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, said there was an "unusual constellation of mutations" and that it was "very different" to other variants that have circulated.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59418127

[wjfox]

[erowind]

.

[Xyls]

Hard to say what this variant means but travel restrictions needs to be implemented fast to determine if the spread is because it has the ability to get around immunity from previous infection/vaccination. If so, we might be looking at another global lockdown...

[wjfox]

UK just passed 10 million cases, only the 4th country to do so.

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-tot ... c-12478490

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

Now in Belgium.

[caltrek]

'It Was Entirely Avoidable': Rich Countries Blamed as New Covid Variant Sparks Global Alarm
by Jake Johnson
November 26, 2021

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/ ... rks-global

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) The detection of a new, heavily mutated, and potentially vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant in Botswana and other nations is sending shockwaves worldwide as public health officials rush to understand the strain and its possible impact on the global pandemic response.

For vaccine equity campaigners and epidemiologists, the emergence of another highly contagious coronavirus mutation is far from surprising given the massive inoculation gap between rich and poor countries, which has left billions of people across the globe without access to lifesaving shots—and kept the door open to variants.

Botswana, where the new strain was first identified earlier this month, has fully vaccinated just 20% of its population.

Tim Bierley of the U.K.-based advocacy group Global Justice Now said in a statement that the B.1.1.529 mutation is an "entirely avoidable" consequence of deliberate policy decisions by rich countries, which have hoarded vaccine doses and refused to force pharmaceutical giants to share technology with developing nations.

"The U.K. has actively prevented low and middle-income countries from having equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines. We have created the conditions for this variant to emerge," Bierley said, referring to the British government's opposition to a proposed patent waiver for coronavirus vaccines.

[raklian]

[Yuli Ban]

[Xyls]

Lol f*ck:

[Yuli Ban]

Qu'est que f*ck

European Union states have agreed to suspend temporarily travel to southern Africa after the detection of a new Covid-19 variant.

A committee of health experts from all 27 EU states "agreed on the need to activate the #emergency break & impose temporary restriction on all travel into EU from southern Africa," the Slovenian presidency of the EU said on Twitter.

An EU source told Reuters that the restrictions would apply to South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

It comes as a case of the 'nu' Covid variant was identified in Belgium, with laboratories in the country increasing their vigilance to catch the potentially more transmissible strain.

A patient returning from Egypt, via Turkey, contracted the variant of concern, according to the National Reference Laboratory, which sent a nationwide communication to raise urgency over passengers arriving from South Africa.

Two possible cases were analysed on Friday, with one identified as a delta variant and the other the new B.1.1.529 strain.

[Xyls]

New variant now named Omicron.

Clearly they weren't going to use Nu as it would confuse anglophones, and Xi probably was politically sensitive to Xi Jinping in China...

[Xyls]

BioNTech Says It will Take 100 Days to Tweak Vaccine to Match Spike if this is an escape variant

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... -if-needed

They will know this in about 2 weeks.

We really need to dramatically accelerate the distribution of vaccines to Africa. And if the virus is mutating faster where AIDS is present more AIDS relief needs to be directed to Africa.

[raklian]

BioNTech Says It will Take 100 Days to Tweak Vaccine to Match Spike if this is an escape variant

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... -if-needed

They will know this in about 2 weeks.

We really need to dramatically accelerate the distribution of vaccines to Africa. And if the virus is mutating faster where AIDS is present more AIDS relief needs to be directed to Africa.

I suppose we should be grateful it's only taking 100 days rather than a year or several as it is the case with the last-generation vaccine technology.

Sounds like we'll probably need the 4th shot (2nd booster) if Omnicron is indeed an escape variant.

[andmar74]

Take it easy. We don't know how dangerous Omicron is. Also we don't know how well protected we are with current vaccines. Too early.

[Yuli Ban]

[raklian]

Take it easy. We don't know how dangerous Omicron is. Also we don't know how well protected we are with current vaccines. Too early.

Right, which is why I added the "if it's an escape variant" qualifier. I suppose it'll also depend on its reproduction rate. Early indications show it's highly transmissive, but we don't know if it'll outcompete Delta and the other variants. The next week or two will tell us.

[raklian]

Read the thread. Dr. Peter Hotez summarizes the current events with Omicron nicely.