Covid's new mutation

How does the UK know that the new SARS-CoV-2 virus mutation makes COVID-19 more contagious?

British Health Minister Matt Hancock announced that researchers identified a new mutation in the corona virus that causes COVID-19.

This new variant is called VUI-202012/01. This type of variant has 14 mutations from the previous version, including 7 mutations in the spike protein, which is a protein that plays a role in opening the entrance to the human body.

This is considered a relatively large change compared to other variants that are now spreading around the world. The new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is thought to be the cause of the increase in cases of COVID-19 transmission in the UK in the past week.

"Currently we have identified more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 with this mutation variant, especially in the southern region of England," said Hancock at a press conference in London, Monday (14/12).

It is not yet known to what extent this viral mutation affects infection in humans. Its more contagious nature is also still suspected because the emergence of the evolution of this virus is in line with the increase in cases of COVID-19 transmission in the UK.

Lucy van Dorp, a researcher in the viral genome at University College London (UCL) in her article on The Conversation said it was difficult to decipher the cause and effect of a case like this. This is because it could be that this virus mutation just happened to be identified in areas with high transmission or poor control.

More research into the severity of COVID-19 infection of this type is being carried out by experts in various countries. They shared genetic profiling of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from this mutation variant with global researchers.

"We do not know further about this mutation, but nevertheless we must immediately take firm action to control the spread of cases even though the vaccine program has been launched," he continued.

Until now there is no evidence whether this type of mutation can make the symptoms of COVID-19 infection worse or even lighter. Experts are still researching how the virus that causes COVID-19 mutates its effects in cases of transmission in the UK.

How do viruses mutate and what is their importance?

Mutations are a natural part of viral evolution. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, this mutation may have arisen due to random errors during the time the virus was reproducing in the human body. One of the triggers is an antiviral protein in the body of an infected person or the recombination of two genetic strands. So far there have been no signs of recombination in the genetics of the virus that causes COVID-19.

"The genetic information on viruses can change quickly and sometimes these changes are beneficial to the virus. "It allows the virus to be more easily transmitted and allows it to avoid the effects of vaccines or medications," said Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Nottingham.

"But in most cases, mutations like this have absolutely no effect on their nature of infecting the human body," explains Ball.

This mutation of the virus that causes COVID-19 is occurring in the UK in an unusual combination of mutations and numbers. One of the previous mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, namely the N501Y variant, has been shown to increase the virus's ability to bind to receptors (entry points) for human cells.

This N501Y was first identified in Brazil in April 2020. The mutated variant N501Y was later linked to a mutation variant that increases the transmission of COVID-19 in South Africa.

Malaysia has also announced an increase in cases of COVID-19 transmission in the country due to a mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus called D614G. This mutation was identified to have the potential to change the behavior of the virus into a type that has a higher infectious ability.

It is for this reason that it is important to study any mutations that occur in viruses, especially those that are endemic such as COVID-19.