We all know COVID-19 as the virus that put the whole world on pause. It all started on December 31, 2019, as the first case located in Wuhan, China, was reported to the World Health Organization. Since then we’re still here, more than a year later, struggling to survive amid the pandemic.
What makes things even worse is that multiple variants of the virus are now circulating over the world. But don’t panic, they say fear makes us vulnerable to the unknown. That’s why it’s important for us to be informed about what is happening today.
What we know about the COVID-19 variants
As of now, there are three COVID-19 variants that are spreading across the world. These variants spread easier and faster than the original virus.
The good news is that the antibodies generated by the existing vaccines recognize these variants. However, these variants are still being studied and there’s still more left to be known.
The first variant is known as B117, and it has a mutation in the receptor-binding domain (RBD), which is a section of the virus’ programming that allows it to attach to a cell’s body receptors.
It is comparable to obtaining a master key to our cell entrance gates. The mutation is called N501Y in shorthand because the mutation is located in the 501st position on the RBD, where the Asparagine (N) amino acid has been replaced with Tyrosine (Y), changing the protein’s structure.
Some studies have correlated this variant with better “transmissibility” through its efficient resource use, allowing it to spread across cells and people faster. B117 was first identified in the UK as early as September 2020.
A few months after, multiple countries have reported cases of this variant, including the USA. Earlier mutations of the variant had presented no evidence of affecting SARS-CoV-2 severity nor vaccine efficacy.
However, in the first weeks of 2021, UK scientists have studied the possibility that this variant could be more lethal than others before it.
Next is the B1351 variant, which was first identified in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa in the beginning of October 2020, and has since spread to different countries.
Aside from the N501Y mutation, this variant experiences the K417N and E484K mutations as well. There is no solid evidence to suggest that this variant will affect virus severity, but the E484K mutation is being called an “escape mutation” by scientists in South Africa.
As the name implies, the E484K mutation is able to escape, or override the neutralization of some antibodies in the virus neutralization assay (an antibody test where they determine which antibodies can neutralize a certain virus/its variant). This may affect the effectiveness of certain vaccines and of naturally-generated antibodies in recovered patients.
The last emerging variant is a branch of the B1128 variant from Japan, and is referred to as the P1 variant. In the P1 lineage, scientists have discovered three mutations in the spike domain, namely K417, E848K, and N501Y.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there may be evidence these mutations will affect transmissibility and the ability of naturally-generated COVID antibodies to neutralize this variant -- similar to the other two variants.
COVID-19 variants and the Philippines
So far, only the Britain COVID-19 variant out of the three variants was confirmed to be locally transmitted in the Philippines. The Philippine health department stated that the B117 variant had spread among 12 people in Bontoc, Mountain Province. and that the first case came from a Filipino who came from the United Arab Emirates.
Due to this variant, President Rodrigo Duterte decided to scrap his plan of allowing children from ages 10-14 in low-risk areas to go outdoors starting February 1.
What do these variants entail?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these variants may lead to an increased number of cases which can strain the health care resources even further which ultimately leads to more hospitalization, and, sad to say, even more deaths.
The country is still under one of the toughest coronavirus restrictions in the world. This includes international travel bans and minors are still prohibited from going outdoors.
We still don’t know a lot of things. We don’t know how these variants affect existing tests, therapies, and vaccines. We also don’t know how the disease caused by these new variants differs from others, and how widely these variants have spread.
All we can do now is take extra precautions, comply with the basic COVID-19 rules (wearing masks, social distancing, proper hygiene), and stay constantly updated on new information.
Story by Jazlyn Ong
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