Variant B.1.621 was described for the first time in January 2021 in Colombia. Since then, it has spread to 19 other countries in the Americas and Europe, according to the Pango Lineages website. Which brings together experts in genomic surveillance from various universities and research centers.
Can you evade the immune response of vaccines?
On the other hand, the Public Health England (PHE) commented that the variant known as B.1.621, detected for the first time in Colombia. He had shown signs of evading the immune response triggered by COVID-19 vaccines or a previous infection.
The PHE has classified the variant “under investigation”. But it has not declared it a “worrying variant,” a designation that can trigger government action.
There are already 37 confirmed cases in England
“There is preliminary laboratory evidence suggesting that vaccination and previous infection may be less effective in preventing infection with (B.1.621).” He said, adding that there had been 37 confirmed cases of the variant in England.
“However, these data are very limited and more research is required. There is no evidence to suggest that (it) is more transmissible than the dominant delta variant ”.
The case of Belgium
Yesterday, Seven residents of a nursing home in Belgium died after being infected with a B.1.621 lineage. Which, as we mentioned earlier, was detected for the first time in Colombia. Residents died despite being fully vaccinatedthe virology team that conducted the tests said Friday.
The virology team said residents had been infected with the B.1.621 lineage of COVID-19 that originated in Colombia. And it has been detected in recent weeks in the United States, but cases in Europe have been rare.
* The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has listed the B1.621 lineage as part of the Kappa variant of the coronavirus. But not as a variant itself.
What do we know about variant B.1.621?
Currently, B.1.621 is part of a World Health Organization “alert list”. This, along with other viral versions that need to be monitored and studied.
As it is relatively new, it has not yet been named with a Greek letter, as was the case with the Alpha variant (UK), the Beta (South Africa), the Gama (Brazil) and the Delta (India).
Will the vaccines be enough?
The good news, said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The thing is vaccines do not appear to be less effective against most of these variants, until now, including the Colombian strain B.1.621.
But questions remain about transmissibility and whether it is more contagious, such as delta, he said.
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