Task Force on differing strains, variants and virus mutations around the globe
At last week’s Pine Island Task Force meeting, the multiple variants due to the sheer volume of COVID-19 were discussed. According to Task Force member Dr. James Koopman, it takes a re-infection to stimulate a variant, emphasizing the need for people to become vaccinated as soon as possible, before these strains can mutate.
The Brazilian and South African strains, which he says are the biggest concern due to their transmissibility, have some variants in common, enabling multiple strains to develop some of the same mutations. One of the early variants, named D614G, became dominant last spring.
This variant, Koopman said, was unique in that it kept the top of the spike protein open longer, allowing it to attach better, but at the same time it also allowed antibodies in more readily.
He went on to explain that a different Danish variant transmitted the virus from mink to humans who worked with the mink.
According to a report from the World Health Organization, minks were infected following exposure from infected humans. Minks can act as a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2, passing the virus between them, and pose a risk for virus spill-over from mink to humans. People can then transmit this virus within the human population. Additionally, spill-back (human to mink transmission) can occur. It remains a concern when any animal virus spills in to the human population, or when an animal population could contribute to amplifying and spreading a virus affecting humans. As viruses move between human and animal populations, genetic modifications in the virus can occur. These changes can be identified through whole genome sequencing, and when found, experiments can study the possible implications of these changes on the disease in humans.
There are a number of strains now circling the globe, among them one specific to California, as well as a European, Brazilian and also South African strains. Koopman compared many of the strains to the wild type as well as the SARS strain he went to investigate in Beijing a number of years ago.
“Moderna and Pfizer have already developed new vaccines against the South African variant,” said Koopman. “They will have to be thrown into the mix when, and if, it’s necessary…the problem is it takes time to produce the vaccine.”
In the 101 years between the 1919 Spanish Flu and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Task Force member Ellen Ballard pointed out that reason might dictate people would have learned to better care for themselves.
In response, Koopman pointed out that the virus we’re dealing with now is particularly bad.
“One of the big differences,” said Koopman, “was that the 1919 (virus) hit middle age adults, in the 35 to 40 range. The message has to be — get the vaccine.”
Even with a re-infection from future variants, he said, there’s still going to be protection with vaccination.
Koopman maintains that a more serious challenge facing the spread of variants, even before vaccinations, is that people continue wearing masks, and avoid congregating in large groups. The continuance of control measures such as these is simultaneously, the most difficult, while being the most beneficial.