By: James Hong, Tiffany Mok, Arnav Naphar, Matthew Wong
Although the infection rates of COVID-19 have declined far below their peak, in many parts of the world, COVID-19 variants have become the new threat.
Thousands of mutations naturally occur within any virus, throughout its transmission. Oftentimes, the resulting variant is harmless. Still, at times, mutations can change aspects of the virus, making it more powerful. This is true when it comes to the COVID-19 virus, hence why COVID-19 variants are a cause for concern.
COVID-19 continues to spread across the world, many variants have arisen, delaying and obstructing efforts to return to normal.
Why are variants important?
One of the first variants to be heavily reported was the Alpha variant from the United Kingdom. A variant occurs when the genes of the virus mutate as it spreads. According to Stuart Ray, the Vice-Chair of Medicine for Data Integrity and Analytics, “new variants of the [COVID-19] virus are detected every week,” (JHU 2021). However, many mutations are harmless and only a few can cause higher transmission rates, preventing treatment, or increased death rates.
Which variants are concerning?
Alpha Variant
In the UK, the COVID-19 alpha variant was first detected in November 2020. It is estimated that it is 40%-80% more transmissible than the original COVID-19 virus. The alpha variant had begun spreading by mid-December and it correlated with a significant increase in COVID-19 infections in the country. In addition, this variant is known for mutating more than the regular strain.
In Canada, the variant first emerged in Ontario in late December 2020. By February 13, it had spread to all ten provinces. In Ontario, all Covid-19 variants make up about 4.4% of all Covid-19 positives, and the alpha variant represents 99% of all variant viruses. As for now, it is the most common variant virus in Canada, accounting for more than 216,000 cases across the country as of June 17.
Scientists suggest that the efficacy of existing vaccines is the same for both the original strain and the alpha variant. Since the alpha variant is more transmissible, stronger physical distancing and lockdown measures are recommended for governments around the world.
Beta Variant
The beta variant was first detected in South Africa in October 2020, and it was reported by the country's health department on 18 December 2020.
On 1 February 2021, Ontario reported the first case of the variant in the Peel Region without any travel history or contact with anyone who had recently been abroad. To this date, the beta variant accounts for 1,900 cases across Canada.
Statistics show that the existing Covid-19 vaccines don't work as effectively on the variant. It is shown that most vaccines are only able to achieve a 70% protection level against the variant virus. Scientists suggest that the existing vaccines should be updated to counter the new strains, but the recourse to phased trials would be unnecessary.
Delta Variant
Most COVID-19 variants have deadly effects on humans, but the Delta variant is most notable for being more contagious than the alpha strain. It is a descendant of B.1.67, which originated from India in October 2020. Multiple sources gathered up evidence, reporting that it can spread more easily. Vaccines or treatments possibly cannot work against it. BBC News shared: “[The Delta variant cases have more than] 75,000 cases across the UK, (Roberts 2021).” Although, in the United States, Quartz India stated: “ United States’ cases of Delta [strain] is [quickly] rising, … [from] 10% of the total [number] of Covid-19 cases last week to 20% of cases … the [following] week,” (Kapur 2021). The Delta strain can cause significant stress to the hospitals of areas with outbreaks.
Gamma Variant
The gamma variant is responsible for 16% of the cases in the United States. It is also known as P.1. The first case was reported in Japan, but studies show that the original birthplace of the virus was in Brazil, having a malicious effect of re-infecting people that already had Covid-19. It has an important mutation that causes the virus to evade antibodies., a It is also a key competent in the immune system to fight viruses. The Seattle Times typed out in their article: “[Gamma] variant is [highly] infectious. It can spread … [rapidly]. Some cases suggested that [it is] … less likely to respond to antibody treatment,” (Clarridge 2021).” In the United States, the variant is responsible for the increased hospitalization rate, and fast breakout. The gamma strain can be uncontrollable if a country doesn’t take the necessary actions.
What does this mean for the world?
It is no secret that COVID-19 is deadly, having killed millions of people around the world.
In many ways, these variants have only heightened the lethality of the virus. They’ve facilitated its transmission, reduced the effectiveness of vaccines, and made it difficult to combat. In places like India, and Brazil, such variants have already illustrated their destructiveness, the two countries becoming the 2nd and 3rd ranking countries with the highest COVID-19 cases.
Although such variants should be recognized for their fatality, they do not signify that our medical institutions and governments cannot mitigate its impact. There is still an opportunity to prevent these variants from becoming a large issue in many parts of the world. These variants- and their visible impact on other countries- should motivate us to continue following government regulations and guidelines, and stay conscious and aware.
Definitions
Mutation - a change in the DNA resulting from copying errors
Works Cited
Clarridge, Christine. “Highly Infectious COVID gamma variant worries Washington state officials.” The Seattle Times Health...The Seattle Times. 16 June 2021 www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/what-keeps-me-up-at-night-covid-19-gamma-variant-w.
“COVID-19 Variants.” BC Centre for Disease Control COVID-19. BC Centre for Disease Control. 10 June 2021, www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/variants.
CDC. Microscopic Shot of a Virus. 2020. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/microscopic-shot-of-a-virus-3992945/
“New Variants of Coronavirus: What You Should Know.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Health System, 22 Feb. 2021, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/a-new-strain-of-coronavirus-what-you-should-know.
Roberts, Michelle. “What are the India, Brazil, South Africa, and UK Variants?” BBC Health. BBC News. 6 June 2021. www.bbc.com/news/health-55659820.
Kapur, Manavi. “How Dangerous is the COVID-19 Delta Variant?” Quartz India Health Quartz India .23 June 2021. https://qz.com/india/2024190/how-dangerous-are-covid-19-delta-and-delta-plus-variants/.