Brazil variant: Professor shares concerns over coronavirus strain

New variants of coronavirus are rapidly emerging around the world. These new strains are proving more infectious than the original strain which began the pandemic. Scientists are urgently studying these mutations in a bid to understand more about them and comprehend the specific threat they pose. Express.co.uk has compiled a guide to explain how many new strains there are right now.

The novel coronavirus

The novel coronavirus is one of several known coronaviruses to infect humans.

Coronaviruses are part of a large family of viruses which have been around for a long time.

The virus is formally known as Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has caused the Covid pandemic 2019.

Thus far, more than 93 million people around the globe have tested positive for coronavirus.

But in recent months and weeks, new Covid variants have been propelling the spread of the virus as these new mutations are proving to be more easily transmissible.

There are many thousands of different versions, or variants, of Covid circulating.

Most of these differences are inconsequential.

However, a few can prove harmful to the virus’s survival, while others can make it more infectious or threatening.

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Brazil variant

The Brazil Covid variant has now been detected in the UK and is causing growing concern.

This variant was first detected in Brazil in December and has seen a mass transfer of Covid-19 patients out of Manaus, the Amazon’s largest city, as it struggles with a shortage of oxygen tanks.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is “very concerned” about a new variant of coronavirus which has been identified in Brazil.

He told the Liaison Committee this week the Government is “taking steps” to ensure the new strain is not imported into the UK.

He said: “Well we are and we’re putting in extra measures to ensure that people coming from Brazil are checked and indeed stopping people coming from Brazil.”

A ban on travel from South America to the UK came into force at 4am on Friday and is aimed at stopping the import of the new variant.

The Brazil variant is believed to be better at attaching to human cells, and therefore more infectious.

There are two coronavirus variants which have been first detected in Brazil according to leading scientists.

Professor Wendy Barclay said the version discovered is not the more infectious “variant of concern”.

The “variant of concern” from Brazil has been detected in travellers to Japan.

Professor Barclay added: “The new Brazilian variant of concern, that was picked up in travellers going to Japan, has not been detected in the UK.

“Other variants that may have originated from Brazil have been previously found.”

UK variant

The UK variant has become much more dominant in Britain and has now spread to more than 50 other countries.

Scientists have confirmed the new UK variant is 70 percent more transmissible.

This variant was first detected in Kent in September.

By November, a quarter of cases in London were attributed to the new variant, with this rising to two-thirds of cases by mid-December.

South Africa variant

The South Africa coronavirus variant is circulating across many countries including the UK.

This variant was first detected in early October and has now been found in at least 20 other countries.

The strain is believed to be associated with a rapid increase in cases in several locations with large Covid-19 outbreaks, with the South African health department attributing its second wave of the virus to this variant.

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Nigeria variant

Another variant of the virus was detected in Nigeria and reports suggested the new strain is more contagious.

This new strain was first sequenced in August and was confirmed in late December.

In December the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) John Nkengasong said: “It’s a separate lineage from the UK and the South African lineages.”

Kenya variant

A new variant of coronavirus has now been detected in Kenya according to research from the state-linked Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri).

The variant was detected in the south-eastern region of the country after a study was undertaken from June to October.

Dr Charles Agoti, a Kemri researcher and principal member of a team of investigators reported the vast majority of mutations are often insignificant and have little impact.

Kenya’s cases of Covid-19 have been on a lower trajectory, with less than 100 cases reported over the last week.

Denmark variant

A mink-related coronavirus strain was identified in Denmark last November.

Minks were infected following exposure from infected humans according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The strain was associated with farmed minks and included several cases with a unique variant according to the WHO.

In total 12 cases were identified in September 2020, in North Jutland in Denmark.

Malaysia variant

A mutated variant of Covid-19 was detected in Malaysia in December.

Malaysia’s Health Ministry said the strain dubbed the A701B mutation has not yet been confirmed as any more infectious than usual.

The ministry’s director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said: “It is similar to a strain found in South Africa, Australia and the Netherlands.”

He added: “We detected this mutation in 60 samples taken from Covid-19 patients under the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster in Sabah.

“We still have not ascertained whether this strain has a high infectivity level and whether it is more aggressive than usual.”

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