It was 23rd of December when I was tested positive for Sars cov 2 B.1.1.7. This seems like paying the price for working in one of the most crowded place Southeast London which is known to be the breeding ground for this. The B.1.1.7 is the one of most infectious virus strains, its 70% more infectious/transmissible than the existing one.
B.1.1.7 first appeared on September 20th but accounted for 26% of cases in mid-November. The numbers climbed by the week of December 9th of about 60% of total cases in the UK.
As of 1st January 2021, there are around 53500 new COVID-19 cases in the U.K out of which 60% are the new variant.
B.1.1.7 acquired 17 mutations at once, which is unusual, as the virus has mutated at a rate of about 1 to 2 changes a month. The explanation for the mutation is that the virus might have mutated inside the same human host.
Eight of those mutations impact the gene that codifies the spike protein that binds to cells. The protein sits at the outside of the virus, and it’s what neutralizing antibodies target, including those created by vaccines.
Two of the eight are worrisome. The N501Y mutation increases how tightly the protein binds to the AC
The South African mutation carries the same N501Y mutation as the UK one. The African strain called 501Y.V2 spreads faster and seems to be more dangerous for young adults. It’s not a perfect match to B.1.1.7
Mutation is an innate property of virus and hence the scientist have had this in their mind while preparing the vaccine and hence experts believe that the mutation isn’t immune to the vaccine.
On Wednesday morning, the department of health and social care accepted the recommendation of the regulator MHRA to authorise Oxford university/AstraZeneca covid 19 vaccine for use, this is a significant contribution by British scientist as it is cheap , easy to mass produce crucially it can be stored in a standard fridge – unlike the Pfizer BioNtech jab which needs ultra cold storage at -70 deg C.
The length of time between two doses has been extended to 12 weeks, resulting into more population in less amount of time can be vaccinated.
Efficacy-
Trial shows two full doses of Pfizer- BIoNTech jab were 95% effective at preventing infection, while the Oxford -Astrazeneca vaccine showed 62% effectiveness- although the first dose also provides enough protection (unpublished data shows about 70% when given in single dose and 905 when given in half dose) against the illness.
This shows some green light for India as well as the health secretary of Britain Mr Mat Hancock also said in the press release that Britain will also offer this to the countries with low social economic conditions.
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