On the afternoon of the 28th, airport quarantine officials are carrying out indoor quarantine work at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport Terminal 2. Yeongjongdo = News 1
About the emergence of the Corona 19 mutant virus originating in the UK, the scientific community and the medical community say that it was “sufficiently predicted”. The virus had to change even for its own survival. He warns that if so many countries infect so many patients, it could be more at risk after this winter.
Summarizing the words of experts on the 28th, it cannot be ruled out the possibility that an additional corona 19 mutant virus with strong transmission power will appear in the future. Another, more potent, mutant virus could appear outside of the UK or South Africa that has been identified. The fact that the mutant virus from the UK has a greater degree of mutation than the existing mutant viruses known to date also contributes to this prediction.
According to international journal’Science’ and foreign media, around 20 mutations were found in the mutant virus originating in the UK. Scientists are paying particular attention to the three mutations (N501Y, P681H, 69-70 deletion) in which amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, have been changed or separated. This is because these mutations can change the avidity, activity, and structure of the spike protein, which is essential when the virus penetrates the host cell. This is why the British mutant virus has 1.7 times more transmission power than the existing virus.
The same is true of the mutant virus, which the quarantine authorities revealed that it was confirmed by three family members from the UK that day. Kim Eun-jin, head of the Test Analysis Team 1 of the Central Defense Response Headquarters, explained, “As a result of the test, multiple mutations found in the British mutant virus were observed.”
This is not the first time a virus with mutations in the spike protein has appeared. Corona 19 virus, which was prevalent in Korea in the early days, was classified into S and V groups. However, after the epidemic of the Itaewon club in Seoul in May, the type of Corona 19 virus that has established itself in Korea was’GH’. Since it turned into a virus that penetrates better into host cells, the GH group type has since surpassed the S and V groups to become the dominant species.
This variation from the UK was classified into the GR group, different from the GH group. Until now, the GR group type has only appeared to some foreigners, such as Russian sailors in Busan. However, it is spreading to more than 20 countries around the world, and if this spreads, there is a high possibility that the GR Group will become the mainstream in the future.
Of interest is the impact of vaccines that have already begun or developments on antibody treatments at the end. The larger the change, the less effective the existing vaccine or antibody treatment. In addition, as time passes after vaccination, the number of people whose immunity remains intact may result in more mutations that show persistent vitality. A professor of microbiology at a university in Seoul said, “The most worrying point is that it is difficult to predict how the mutant virus pattern will develop in the future.”
Lim So-hyung reporter [email protected]
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