Even with the appearance of a variant corona, there is only one confidence…

Concerns are spreading that the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which has spread rapidly in winter due to the advent of the mutant coronavirus from the UK, may rise further. There is also growing concern about whether the corona vaccine developed so far will be neutralized.

For this reason, the British government reinforced the corona alert posture in the southeast and eastern regions, including London, from three stages to four for this reason. Going out and moving without special reason were banned for the time being. Accordingly, European Union (EU) member states, such as France, also blocked flights and vehicles from the UK. Because of this, trucks with no way to go stop endlessly at Dover Port in England and Eurotunnel, the ports connecting the two countries by ferry.

According to England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, the mutant virus spreads 70% faster than the conventional one. Patrick Balances, UK’s top scientific advisor, said that over the previous week, 63% of confirmed cases in southeast England were found to be caused by a mutant virus. However, he said that the change in the fatality rate is unknown and needs further investigation.
With an unprecedented quarantine order ahead of Christmas, Prime Minister Boris Johnson took the stigma of being’the prime minister who stole Christmas’. Nevertheless, giving a bold quarantine order means that the situation is so urgent.

As the British strengthened quarantine, European Union (EU) member states such as neighboring France, which had suffered from last-minute negotiations with the UK and Brexit, began to restrict entry of travelers from the UK. Some view it as a combination of quarantine and political purposes in that the measure has been mitigated to some extent since progress in the Brexit negotiations. However, this measure is spreading around the world.

So, can the mutant virus defeat the vaccines developed so far? Four vaccine publishers, including Pfizer/Bioentech, Modena, AstraZeneca/Oxford University, and Johnson & Johnson, which are vaccines developed in the West simultaneously announced that the vaccine developed by the company could prevent mutant viruses.
In particular, Ur Shahin, CEO of Bioentech, a German pharmaceutical company that developed BNT126b2, the world’s first Pfizer-Bioentech corona vaccine, explained this in detail and showed confidence. Shahin held a press conference on the 22nd and said, “I believe that there is no need to worry or worry.”

According to the German international broadcaster DW (Deutsche Welle, German Wave) and the British Daily Guardian, Shahin said, “Scientifically, the immune response from this vaccine will work against the new mutant virus. We are currently confirming this and the result is probably 2 It will come in a week.” “If you need to fix it (the existing vaccine doesn’t work well with the mutant virus or it’s not working properly), technically, you can come up with a new version of the vaccine against the new mutant virus in maybe six weeks,” he said. Shahin said, “The mutant virus is 99% identical to the original virus, so in theory, I expect the existing vaccine to hear enough.”

The basis for Bioentech’s CEO Shahin to say this with confidence is the scientific principle of the BNT126b2 vaccine developed by the company by applying advanced biotechnology. Knowing the principle of a vaccine can help you understand the background of confidence.
The company’s vaccine consists of mRNA, a blueprint for producing proteins. When the vaccine is given to the body, it instructs the body to make the coronavirus’ spike protein. The sharp spikes on the surface of the coronavirus bind to a receptor called ACE-2 on the surface of human cells, allowing the virus to enter human cells. Viruses that enter cells use the human genetic material in them to multiply other viruses. It is a unique survival technique unique to viruses, different from bacteria and other microorganisms.

The protein that makes up this spike is itself harmless to the human body. Spike proteins act as antigens instead of viruses in the human body, triggering the immune system. It activates the immune system to defend against it by sending the same signal as when a virus enters the body’s immune system. Therefore, the human body receiving this vaccine acquires immunity by activating T cells and B cells that are involved in immunity through the spike protein. T cells promote and regulate immunity, and B cells are immune cells that produce antibodies.

When the human body has the antibodies produced through this process, it can attack and remove viruses even if they enter the body. It is to secure acquired immunity. Pfizer-Bioentech vaccines as well as modders and vaccines work this way. .

Knowing the genetic characteristics of a virus can get you closer to the heart of the problem. According to the Institute of Basic Science (IBS), SARS-CoV-2, which causes Corona 19, contains genetic information in’genetic RNA (gRNA)’ in which 30,000 bases are all arranged in a line. RNA consists of four bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and uracil (U). In the case of SARS-CoV-2, 30,000 bases are connected in a row in the order of AGCUAAGUCUAGG, for example, and contain specific genetic information like Morse code.
The problem is that viruses can be genetically altered in the process of replicating themselves using human genetic material in human cells, as a result of the deletion of a base or a substitution that changes its position. It is a so-called mutation. Because of the nature of viruses to proliferate using the genetic material of other living organisms, deletions or substitutions are common. According to the “Corona 19 Genomics (COG-UK) Consortium,” the number of mutations discovered so far reaches 4,000 in total in Spike lipoprotein alone.

The COG-UK consortium was established with the purpose of collecting, sequencing, and analyzing the coronavirus found in the UK last March, when the Corona 19 pandemic was in progress. Research has focused on this area because Spike lipoprotein is essential for coronavirus to invade human cells.
When deletions and substitutions occur in a virus, characteristics change, such as changing its propagation ability or pathogenicity, or having the ability to lower the immunity of the invading body. Usually, if the characteristics of a virus change to some extent due to deletion or substitution, it is considered as’mutation’, and if the change is large enough to be classified as a different species, it is judged as’variant’. The line between mutation and variant is ambiguous.

The mutant virus found in the UK this time is called VOC (Virus of Interest)-202012/01, VUI (Virus Under Investigation)-202012/01, or B.1.1.7. The mutant virus was first identified in October in samples taken from London and neighboring areas in southeast England. Since the specimen was collected in September, it means that the mutant virus was already spreading from then.
The mutant virus spread rapidly in the area until mid-December, leading to a surge in corona cases throughout the UK. Research has shown that this mutant virus alters the structure of the spike glycoprotein, which forms the spikes (projections) necessary for the virus to enter the human body. Spike glycoprotein is a substance that binds to the human body’s ACE-2 receptor, which acts as a pathway when coronavirus enters cells. The problem is that the mutant virus that has undergone these changes has a much stronger ability to penetrate the human body. This led to an increase in the rate of spread of the mutant virus.
In the UK mutant virus, a deletion or substitution of bases constituting the genome was found in 23 locations, of which 17 were expression mutations causing changes in the amino acid structure of the spike protein, and 6 non-expressing mutations that did not cause changes in the Saviour. Appeared as a mutation. That is, the nucleotide sequence change occurred in 17 places.

In Denmark, in November, the National Serum Research Institute (SSI) discovered and reported’Cluster-5′ in which SARS-CoV-2, a virus that causes Corona 19, is mutated. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the mutant virus could reduce the susceptibility of antibodies and neutralize the vaccine under development at the time. As a result of the investigation, the mutant virus was suspected to have been transmitted to humans on mink farms, and accordingly, on November 4, Danish authorities killed all domestic mink to prevent the spread. Along with this, a movement ban was issued in nearby areas and PCR tests were carried out extensively. As a result, Danish authorities said on November 19 that Cluster-5 appeared to have disappeared as it was no longer discovered. The spread of the mutant virus was stopped by rapid and drastic measures by Danish authorities.

Countries around the world are taking quick measures against the mutant virus from the UK, but the effectiveness is bound to be questioned. The emergence of these mutant viruses is not one or two globally, and we are worried that they will continue to appear anytime, anywhere in a pandemic situation. In the end, the claim that the only scientific belief is vaccines is convincing.
The government should collect information on mutant viruses in real time and reassure the public by providing detailed scientific explanations and suggesting countermeasures. At the same time, efforts to secure vaccines must be doubled. It is an order of science.

In-Taek Chae International Reporter [email protected]