Filenews 4 September 2021
The first cases of the new M variant of the coronavirus also appeared in Greece, alarming the government and experts as, with the advent of autumn and the spread of the Delta mutation, new data are being created on the pandemic front.
Since Wednesday morning, the World Health Organization has been monitoring this variant (B.1.621), which was first identified in Colombia last January, sounding a alarm bell.
The question on everyone's lips is whether the variant strain has mutations that may be resistant to vaccines, with the WHO and experts pointing out in the first instance that further studies are needed to understand its characteristics.
Can it get away from vaccines?
As Paul Griffin, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Queensland in Australia, points out in a thorough analysis of the known and possible impact of the new strain of the coronavirus, the M variant does indeed carry mutations that may make it more resistant to existing vaccines.
However, it is significant that, while it has been circulating for almost eight months, it does not seem to be surpassing delta in spread.
"Since the M variant was a really bad variant, one would have expected that we had already identified relevant signs, and this has not yet happened," the Australian expert points out on the 'theconversation.com' website.
The World Health Organization has described M as an "interesting variant", for the time being, and not an "alarming variant", as Gikas Magiorkinis, a member of the Greek committee of experts, underlined in the regular briefing on the coronavirus.
There is still insufficient evidence to consider it neither to be a worrying variant, nor that it cancels the approved vaccines, Mr. Majorkinis stressed.
Like four other variants - Eta, Yiota, Kappa and Lambda - Mu carries some elements that could potentially make her dangerous, but there is still no clear evidence of this, Mr Griffin points out.
It is possible that M has such changes in its so-called "spike protein", the target of vaccines that make it less vulnerable to vaccines. "However, as the first evidence cited by the WHO comes only from laboratory studies, we cannot be at all sure how M affects the population," underlines the University of Queensland professor.
"We need more research to be sure about her behaviour in humans, and this process is now underway," she says.
According to him "the good news is that our vaccines protect the population against symptomatic infection and serious illness from all the strains of the virus we have so far."
The "escape variant"
However, there is a high probability that a new variant will emerge that may not be treated to a significant extent by vaccines, which are based on the original strain of the virus. This will be called, as it is referred to, the "escape variant".
However, even if a new strain reduces the effect of vaccines too much, within 6 to 8 weeks pharmaceutical companies can adjust their vaccines to deal with it as well.
In fact, according to the Australian scientist, in such a case the relevant regulators around the world are likely to speed up the process of its approval. "Some studies would be required but these could be done quickly, as long as the new vaccine has essentially the same properties as the existing vaccine."
