Headline: The Number of Existing COVID-19 Mutations is Causing Major Concerns

Author: Alex Bowser

Over the last couple of months and since the first truly severe mutation in the United Kingdom, more variants of COVID-19 have continued to manifest causing even more concern over the fight against this virus.

Experts have said it since day one: COVID is likely to come with mutations in the future, so it’s not that surprising. However, it’s still difficult to plan for. Vaccines may not work against the mutations that arise, and control may be more difficult with variants that are both more contagious and more deadly, especially if they’re hard to detect.

COVID contains almost 30,000 letters of RNA, information embedded in the structure of the virus that instructs it to take over existing cells and make new viruses. With this much information to be repeatedly copied, errors in the process can occur, causing mutations. Because these mutations are all connected to the original, scientists can track their lineage and origin.

Currently, there have been reports of about 4,000 different variants of COVID across the world. The Kent mutation (formally B.1.1.7) being one of the more significant virus variants has spread throughout the world, where initial cases began to arise without any contact between one another, meaning they manifested themselves on an individual basis.

The reasoning behind such talk over the Kent variant can be found in the numbers alone; it is roughly 50 percent more contagious than both COVID itself and any other corresponding mutations, and has caused up to 35 percent more deaths worldwide.

Currently, the numbers show the Kent variant potentially becoming the new dominant strain in the U.S. alone by March, according to the CDC. As of now, 33 states throughout the nation have confirmed reports of the mutation, resulting in its new official classification as being a “variant of concern.”

The 501.V2 variant, first identified in South Africa, has undergone nearly 20 different genetic changes in its build from the initial form of COVID, which implies that the virus can evolve and mutate rapidly into multiple different forms, some potentially much more deadly and contagious, such as the Kent variant.

In South Africa alone, the 501.V2 variant can be blamed for at least 80 percent of new COVID cases, and it has been detected in 32 countries worldwide. Needless to say, this is the minimum number that has currently been found with the infected, as common COVID tests have had difficulty detecting the strand of COVID. As a result, true numbers are unknown.

In order to combat the uncertainty, the United Kingdom, one of the known countries to have had cases with the variant, has launched a randomized process that takes 5-10 percent of tests to genomic sequencing in order to directly test for variants like 501.V2, but it takes upwards of over a week to complete.

E484K, or Eric/Eek, is one of the variants caused by these genetic changes in 501.V2. Scientists are particularly concerned about this strand mainly because of its ability to shape-shift. Due to the ability to change its spikey-like surface of proteins, it can be potentially harder to detect for the immune system and potential vaccines.

The Eric mutation has also been the cause of the recent rapid spread of COVID in Brazil, causing a dramatic surge in cases. In addition, though the Eric variant wasn’t derived from the Kent variant, nor have they been in contact with one another, there have recently been COVID cases detected with both strands in the south-west region of England.

B.1.426, or the “West Coast Variant,” is another strand that many experts have blamed California’s new surge over. This strand has five mutations as of now, with one known as L452R being blamed for the cause of excessively transmittable behaviors, though this has not yet been proven. Similar to Eric, it alters the spike protein in the virus, theoretically allowing it to more easily infiltrate human cells.

This homegrown strand of California is currently revealing itself an alarming percentage of samples within research in the state. At least 50 percent have been found, and over 1,200 cases have been found with the strand. Last week, there was a 20 percent increase in the number of cases with this mutation, this being particularly home to Los Angeles.

In addition, there have also very recently been derivatives of the B.1.426 variant, known as CAL.20C (which includes both the B.1.429 variant and the B.1.427 variant). However, these new strands are still a mystery, as there has not been much information regarding them, but they have been appearing more frequently.

With all these mutations continuing to make the news, it’s difficult to say whether we can achieve herd immunity before these mutations all become immune to the vaccine. Especially since these are only the more common variants that have appeared, researchers say it’s much more likely to continue to escalate.

Photo: mercurynews.com/Jose Carlos Fajardo