New variants of Covid-19 continue to emerge around the world, prompting experts to question how long the pandemic will last and the actual effectiveness of preventive measures.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak began in 2019 in Wuhan, China, people have often referred to this world-shaking disease as “coronavirus.” Now, in 2021, as we discuss this issue, we are faced not only with the original SARS-CoV-2 strain but also countless mutations that have sprung up “like mushrooms after the rain.”
WHO’s list currently includes 4 concerning variants of SARS-CoV-2, including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta.
In May, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to name the main variants using Greek letters. Since then, the Delta variant has “dominated” the new cases worldwide. Currently, we also have a naming convention that combines letters from the alphabet and numbers to distinguish between sub-variants.
Last month, the UK issued a high alert regarding the AY.4.2 variant of Delta, which is spreading rapidly. Last week, Norway identified another version of the Delta variant, known as AY.63. Experts in Norway stated that this sub-variant is not more dangerous than Delta. Meanwhile, another strain of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.640, discovered in France, has led researchers to a troubling surprise. They reported that they had never seen such mutations before.
Professor David Dockrell from the Centre for Infection Research at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) described to RT television the reasons behind the continuous mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, partly forecasting when the pandemic might end in the future.
He explained: “The parts of the virus that are most likely to change are those areas that are exposed to what we call ‘selective pressure’, or factors that necessitate change. Therefore, a different version of the virus that mutates and changes to evade the immune system is more likely to thrive and become a dominant strain.” Accordingly, SARS-CoV-2 is attempting to modify its spike protein to evade immune responses (from antibodies or T cells) to enhance its survival chances.
Covid-19 seems to be staying a step ahead of our efforts to contain it. Nevertheless, Professor Dockrell has good news for us. SARS-CoV-2 cannot “reverse replicate” from DNA to RNA like HIV and retroviruses to evolve.
Another important point is that as the virus mutates, it also has to “pay a price.” Many changes are not beneficial for its survival. Thus, the virus can only undergo a limited number of advantageous mutations before this process affects its functionality.
Unfortunately, we are still in a phase where Covid-19 can continue to evolve and mutate. However, we do not need to panic because governments around the world have implemented various measures to adapt to the latest Covid-19 strategies.
People line up for Covid-19 vaccinations in Vienna, Austria, on November 10. Austria is the first European country to implement mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for all citizens. (Photo: THX/TTXVN)
Professor Dockrell emphasized that first and foremost, people should continue to get vaccinated – including booster shots – similar to how we deal with the flu by using a seasonal flu vaccine that changes each year.
Additionally, we can adjust some treatment measures such as monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, as they may also be limited by the emergence of a new spike protein mutant virus.
It sounds promising, but will we find ourselves in an endless race against the continuously emerging mutations?
According to Professor Dockrell, the virus has parts referred to by scientists as “conserved regions”, where it is very difficult for the virus to change. Over time, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies will be developed to target these areas.
“Clearly, the corrective direction is to develop vaccines that are effective against a wider range of variants or monoclonal antibodies that target more conserved regions and thus will be less restricted by the virus’s ability to evolve and change,” he concluded.
