SAN DIEGO, California: The COVID-19 vaccines rolling out across the nation are lifting spirits over the holidays. But there’s also budding concern about new strains of the virus that have been discovered in Great Britain, South Africa and possibly in Nigeria. Scientists say they are hopeful, but unsure, that the vaccines will repel the mutants.
The variant found in Great Britain may be more contagious than the original virus. And it’s unclear if the pathogens will take hold in the US, where nearly 19 million people have already been infected. There’s lots of uncertainty because things are happening quickly. Researchers also say the US hasn’t done enough to search for mutant strains of the virus and to figure out whether they’ll worsen the pandemic. To get a better sense of what’s happening, the San DiegoUnion-Tribune posed questions to five top San Diego scientists who are involved in fighting the virus.
They offered differing perspectives, particularly on the nature of B.1.1.7, the mutant strain that helped lead to a lockdown in much of Great Britain. The scientists are: Richard Scheuermann, director of the La Jollacampus of the J Craig Venter Institute, Alessandro Sette, immunologist, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, Nancy Binkin, professor of public health at the University of California, San Diego, Rob Knight, an infectious disease expert at UC San Diego, and Greg Lemke, a molecular neurobiologist at the Salk Institute.
Question: Let’s begin with a gut check. The public has been upset about the coronavirus for nearly a year. Does a mutant version of the virus pose a much deeper level of trouble?
Lemke: Not necessarily. All viruses mutate during infection cycles, and most mutations are either of no impact or actually weaken a virus. SARS-CoV-2 has mutated repeatedly during this infection cycle. Concerns arise when mutations enhance virus infectivity, lethality or transmissibility. — dpa
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