New B1351 Coronavirus Strain

With vaccines becoming more readily available to everyone in the United States, there seems to be a new coronavirus strain popping up amongst larger populations. This new strain was first discovered in November of 2020. The strain is said to have a unique set of spike mutations that might pose an antigenic challenge for vaccines and antibody therapies.

As of March 30, 2021, the US has recorded 30,349,019 cases and 550,371 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins map. There are rumors about testing a new type of vaccine and modifying it in order to target the new B1351 variant, the new coronavirus strain. The creators of the Moderna vaccine have said, “Moderna is committed to making as many updates to our vaccine as necessary until the pandemic is under control.” The CDC Data Tracker has shown that 189,451,285 COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered in the country. 147,602,345 have been administered, while 53,423,486 Americans have received both doses of the vaccine.

Variants of viruses occur when there is a mutation to the virus's genes. Even with COVID-19, mutations are to be expected. Stuart Ray, vice chair of medicine for data integrity says, “We are seeing multiple variants of the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus that are different from the version first detected in China.” One of the new rapid spreading variants, B1351, which was first found in South Africa, is being more closely researched. The early data of the B1351 variant provided that the COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford-AstraZeneca only showed minimal protection from that specific version of the coronavirus.

One important question about the new coronavirus strains is if individuals who have already had COVID-19 could catch another case under the new strains. There is a good chance that people who survived the original coronavirus could still experience another case of moderate to mild COVID-19. According to Ray, some of the mutations in the B117 version appear to impact the coronavirus spike protein. This covers the outer layer of the SARS-CoV-2 and it is what gives the virus its appearance. This seems to be making the new strains almost stickier because of the changes in the spike protein. Furthermore, there is evidence from Britain that some variants could be associated with more severe symptoms and disease. However, mutations like these that appear to make viruses more lethal could happen to spread inefficiently. Experts in areas where the new strains are appearing have had an increased number of cases in children. Data has shown that children are being infected with old variants and new ones as well.

Still with new strains and new mutations popping up, it is still just as important, if not more important, to continue wearing masks, social distancing, and maintaining good hygiene. Receiving the vaccine, if possible, would not hurt, either. These have all been proven effective and help slow the spread of coronavirus and its mutations. Although we are on our way to herd immunity with the production and distribution of vaccines, it is still just as significant to stay cautious of the virus as we reach the brink of herd immunity and become closer and closer back to what we deemed as normal.