by Therese Catapang
In the COVID-19 pandemic response, it is easy to think that everything will be over soon once the spread of the virus is controlled and the vaccination programs are smoothly laid out, but there are still missing puzzle pieces that would complicate everything in the long run.
For instance, the existence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates with new unfamiliar symptoms and transmission rates which heightens the threat of acquiring the virus. These variants emerged through the process of evolution where organisms mutate as they try to survive in the changing environment. They mutate in a way that would overtake the other organism as they fight for survival. As the Red Queen Hypothesis suggests, when two species are fighting for survival, they are adapting to the pressure of coexistence — a term coined by evolutionary biology. Therefore, the virus responds by also evolving into stronger variants as the immune systems of infected humans evolve to fight off the virus. Furthermore, these variants contain similar and different mutations from that of the previous one (SARS-CoV-2) that cause symptoms to slightly differ as well as transmissibility.
To further understand the discrepancies and consequences of the emergence of the new variants, one has to know its symptoms, resistance to the vaccine, and effects on the current pandemic.
What are the New COVID Variants?
| Variant | Difference (referenced from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) | Cases in PH |
| B.1.1.7 (UK variant) | The United Kingdom (UK) variant has a “large number of mutations” particularly the N501Y mutation associated with a higher risk of spreading the virus. | It was first detected in January from the samples of a Filipino who returned from the United Arab Emirates. While on March 20, 223 Filipinos were infected with the UK variant. The variant cases were recorded in the following regions: – Cordillera Administrative Region – Metro Manila – Calabarzon (Region 4-A) – Central Luzon – Northern Mindanao (Region 10) Most of the cases were from the returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the Middle East, Singapore, and the United States. |
| B.1.351 (South Africa variant) | It has multiple mutations in the spike protein that could affect the antibody response (how the body will fight the virus) while also being more contagious than SARS-CoV-2 as it also contains the N501Y mutation. Its E484K mutation can also affect the vaccine efficacy. | Six cases were detected in the PH on March 2. As of March 20, there were 152 cases of variant infection recorded. Most of the cases are from Metro Manila. |
| P.1 variant (Brazil variant) | Similar to the South African Variant, the Brazil variant has the N501Y and E484K mutations. Evidence also shows that some mutations of this variant may affect virus transmissibility and antibodies’ ability to generate. | The variant was found in the samples of an OFW who returned from Brazil and now residing in Western Visayas, according to DOH. |
| P.3 variant | It was first discovered in the Philippines and is believed to have a “unique set of mutations.” It also contains the two mutations (N501Y & E484K). | As of March 20, cases of this variant reached 104. On the other hand, there were already 2 cases of this variant detected in England. |
Do their symptoms differ from the initial strain’s?
According to the UK-based New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), the UK variant is 70% deadlier or causes severe illness than the previous strain. People who have tested positive for this variant may experience more persistent cough, tiredness, muscle aches, sore throat, and fever compared to those who have the original strain. Unfortunately, variations of symptoms among the new strains are yet to be studied. For now, the symptoms experienced by patients infected with the new variants are not that far different from those of patients with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Will the current vaccines be effective against the New Covid Variants?
Before everything else, it is important to note that viruses evolve under the influence of vaccines because evolution is like an arms race where organisms mutate to overpower anything that threatens their survival. One particular threat is the antibodies generated by vaccines. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 vaccines developed can be expected to provide “at least some protection against new virus variants.” They added that vaccines have a complex immune response involving a range of antibodies and cells, hence the mutations in the virus should not impede the efficacy of the vaccines. However, WHO acknowledged that the vaccines can become less effective against the new variants, but the possibility of improving the composition of the vaccine in order to combat the evolution of the virus is probable.
How would it further affect the state of the pandemic?
In the past week, PH logs a record-high number of cases, and on April 2, 2021 was the highest number recorded ever with 15,310 COVID cases already including the 3,790 backlogs. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque claimed that the surge was caused by the new variants’ emergence — as they are known to have higher transmissibility — while he emphasized that the government did not fail in the pandemic response. However, the DOH cited that only 7% of the active cases as of March 15 are variants of concern, leading them to conclude that the surge of infections was not variant-driven. Thus, intensifying the pressure on the government to provide constructive and effective solutions in containing the virus and in handling the worsening situation of the country is rational.
The perpetual evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is inevitable and beyond the control of the general public, and it is evident how the country’s situation is worsening with the surge of cases and Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in place. Filipinos, especially the vulnerable communities, are suffering in all aspects while healthcare is almost collapsing. Although according to the DOH’s COVID-19 bulletin, 76 percent of intensive care units (ICU) beds are occupied while 70 percent of isolation beds are full, Vice President Leni Robredo said it is far from reality as her office has been receiving distress calls from people having a hard time finding hospital vacancies, and those being suggested were as far as Batangas, Laguna, and Nueva Ecija. On top of everything, schools are still closed while the students and teachers are forced to bear the hardships of online and distance learning. Managing these is possible with free and accessible healthcare for everyone particularly mass testing and mass vaccination that the government should have been providing.
In the evolutionary arms race between viruses and humans, the people’s defenses and drive can only be found in vaccines and antibodies, but what will happen when even these defenses could not meet the rate at which the virus transmissibility increases?
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/scientific-brief-emerging-variants.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fmore%2Fscience-and-research%2Fscientific-brief-emerging-variants.html
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/20/new-covid-19-variants-philippines-tally.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55659820
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/6/UK-South-Africa-variant-detected-Philippines-what-we-know.html
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/4-covid-19-variants-including-a-local-strain-now-spreading-in-the-philippines
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/what-we-know-so-far-covid-19-variant-found-philippines
https://www.rappler.com/nation/roque-statement-iatf-incompetence-not-our-fault-viruses-mutate
https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-effects-of-virus-variants-on-covid-19-vaccines?gclid=CjwKCAjwgZuDBhBTEiwAXNofROetIk-ZCdHKuwwCecQahvPszDCShhzFJgrTryEitwlLqixXELRPwRoCWGQQAvD_BwE
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/15/doh-surge-not-variant-driven.html
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/2/COVID-19-variant-UK-South-Africa-mutation-Philippines.html
https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/how-symptoms-of-new-coronavirus-strains-different-from-original-one-121021701316_1.html
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/warfare-in-wonderland/
https://ateneobox.com/2021/03/01/the-new-covid-19-b117-variant-vs-humans-how-is-evolution-working-here/?fbclid=IwAR1xUiaQY5VATkLLrF_G9WxzJnk3Oz4BffC4hCe9tKH9KuwXmoCBXUUUBSE
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/13/Philippines-new-COVID-19-variant-Brazil-UK-South-Africa.html
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