On the 26th, a citizen is getting a Corona 19 vaccine while in a vehicle at an immunization center outside Englewood, California. Englewood=AP Yonhap News
The global village is groaning for a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) mutation. The barrier to containment is increasing as the mutant virus avoids the existing vaccine and throws a’changing ball’. There are only gloomy prospects that the end of the pandemic (a global pandemic) will not only be extended, but also the standards for collective immunity will increase further.
According to foreign media on the 30th (local time), European countries are locking the border doors harder to prevent the COVID-19 mutant virus. The German Ministry of Health has banned entry from the country from this day to the 17th of next month. The destination is for transportation departing from the UK, Ireland, Brazil, and South Africa. The Czech Republic also refused entry to foreigners for non-essential purposes on this day, and the day before, France decided not to accept travelers from countries other than EU member states. In EU countries, stronger corona 19 testing regulations are also applied.
The reason Europe has significantly expanded its control range is due to the strong transmission power of mutant Corona 19. In particular, the South African mutation known as’B.1.351′ is a problem. The mutant virus has been confirmed in 31 countries so far, and it was discovered again in Maryland, the United States, the world’s largest corona 19 victim. The patient has never traveled abroad, so there is a high possibility of infection through community transmission. It is second only to South Carolina.
On the 4th, paramedics are preparing to be dispatched at Rennai, Johannesburg, where a mutation in South Africa was discovered. Johannesburg = AFP Yonhap News
The South African mutation is also known to be a little off the influence of the existing Corona 19 immune system or vaccine, raising concerns. In the recent COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial conducted by the US pharmaceutical company NovaVax, 85.6% was effective in the UK variant, but only 60% in the South African variant. In the clinical results previously conducted by Johnson & Johnson, the efficacy of the South African mutation was only 57%. The Washington Post (WP) pointed out that “the clinical results of NovaVax are ominous news for other pharmaceutical companies updating their vaccines against mutations.”
Anthony Pouch, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said in an interview with NBC News on the same day, “I heard stories from South African public health experts that a person who had Corona 19 had been reinfected with the mutant virus several months ago.” This means that the immune response after the first infection is not enough to prevent the South African mutant infection.
As the mutant variable becomes a’constant’, pessimism is growing that it may take more time to recover from the long tunnel of infectious diseases and recover daily life. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), diagnosed, “If there are two or three more mutations, there will be situations where we really have to worry.”
The opinion that the population immunity standard should be higher than before (approximately 70%) is gaining convincing in consideration of the strong spread of mutations. Jay Butler, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), predicted that “if the mutation becomes a dominant species, the standard for collective immunity will rise to 80-85%.” In the end, it means that the only answer is to vaccinate as many people as possible and block the appearance of other mutations.
Heo Gyeongju reporter [email protected]
News directly edited by the Hankook Ilbo can also be viewed on Naver.
