Shining a Flashlight in the Dark for Variants

New data on the South African variant already in United States, and a further 30 countries suggests the virus is learning fast. Not that it has intelligence as such, but it is a highly adaptive collection of genes and molecules. The result is vaccines are less effective against it, adding to the challenge of a faster spread. Nobody knows what happens next. Los Angeles Times describes scientists as shining a flashlight in the dark for variants.

Some Variants are Less Vulnerable to Certain Vaccines

‘This was totally unexpected from an evolutionary biology perspective,’ Dr. Michael Mina, Harvard epidemiologist told Los Angeles Times. ‘But it never feels good to be validated on something so scary.’ Strong words, but we believe it’s a worry the COVID virus is developing resistance to vaccines faster than scientists expected.

Mutations are a normal part of virus cycles. However, some variants endow them with ability to resist host immunity, and become more robust versions. This trend is showing in laboratory tests by COVID vaccine makers. But this does not necessarily provide the complete picture.

Researchers Are Shining a Flashlight in the Dark for Variants

Take the timeline of the Moderna vaccine, for example. It is slightly less effective against the UK variant (B1.1.7) than the original one. But it is far less successful against the South African version (B1.351) according to the Novavax trial. This was just a small study, but the timeline is showing. Results of trials on the Brazil variant (P.1) are outstanding.

We don’t know what’s brewing in other highly infected nations, although there’s a possibility of new, more potent variants. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases regards this as a wake-up call to rapidly vaccinate, and curb the spread.

‘We’re shining a flashlight around in the dark, hoping we spot dangerous variants,’ according to Anne Rimoin, epidemiologist at UCLA. ‘What we really need to do is flip on the lights’, but that calls for bolstering our resources.