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THE PUBLIC must again be vigilant against the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Although the number of cases in Indonesia continues to decline, the corona virus continues to mutate. Recently, the AY.4.2 variant appeared, another version of the COVID-19 corona virus.
Launching Forbes, AY is a variant of the Covid-19 virus such as the Delta variant. Then there are subvariants, which are variants of variants. According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) Weekly epidemiological updates, AY.4.2 is a Delta subvariant that has now spread to at least 42 different countries, including the US, UK and Russia.
AY.4.2 this is a Delta subvariant that has given rise to three additional mutations, including two that affect the critical spike protein that coats the viral surface. These mutations are called A222V and Y145H. Some people call this subvariant “Delta plus”, although it is not the only “Delta plus” out there.
The big question is do these mutations make the virus more contagious? And is this virus more dangerous and more deadly? Also, is this variant better able to evade immunity from previous vaccines or infections?
It should not be too surprising that new variants and subvariants keep popping up. Every time a virus replicates, it can be like a drunk person making photocopies of files. Viruses can make mistakes so that the next copy of the virus may differ slightly from the mutations sown in its genetic code.
Some of these mutations can make the resulting new virus version weaker. Others may not make any difference. And some can make the virus stronger, which is a mutation that public health officials are concerned about because of the ongoing pandemic.
A new version is a subvariant rather than an entirely new variant if it is clearly a variation of an existing original variant. However, experts say that AY.4.2 is not yet the dominant variant in the infected countries.
“Currently, the strain has been found in several other countries, but has not become dominant,” Dr Roselyn Lemus-Martin, a molecular and cell biologist at the University of Oxford, was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.
“Maybe we see a similar situation with the Lambda variant, at first, people were worried but eventually its presence diminished in places like the US or UK,” he added.
Dr Patrick Tang, head of the Division of Pathological Sciences at Sidra Medicine in Qatar, said it was not clear whether AY.4.2 was more infectious or reduced antibodies from the vaccine.
Experts warn that the spread of the new variant of COVID-19 is triggered by a number of factors, one of which is the government’s health protocol policy and compliance in carrying it out. [kontan.co.id/photo special]
