Virus Mutation Becomes an Obstacle for COVID-19 Vaccinations
The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 virus variants will challenge COVID-19 vaccination programs being run across many countries.
By
Kompas Team
·4 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 virus variants will challenge COVID-19 vaccination programs being run across many countries. Apart from being more contagious and having the potential to increase mortality, the new mutations can also reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.
“This mutation is the biggest challenge yet, we must be careful,” said Eijkman Institute molecular biology deputy head David Handojo Muljono in an online discussion in Jakarta, Friday (5/3/2021).
According to David, as an RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus, SARS-CoV-2 will continue to mutate at random. This mutation is part of the virus that survives infecting humans. Some mutations are neutral and those that are beneficial to the virus will be maintained and inherited.
Among the thousands of mutations, the World Health Organization (WHO) is paying special attention to five new variants that are spreading rapidly and feared to have serious implications for pandemic control. One of them is the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first detected in the UK in November 2020 and has now been found in 94 countries, including Indonesia, which was reported on 2 March 2021.
The B.1.351 variant was also reported in the Philippines in early March.
The following variant is B.1.351, which was first detected in South Africa in October 2020 and has spread in 48 countries. The B.1.351 variant was also reported in the Philippines in early March.
Another variant is the P.1 or B.1.1.28.1 variant that was first identified in the city of Manaus, Brazil early December 2020 and has spread across 25 countries. There is also the A.23.1 variant detected in Uganda in October 2020, which has spread across 17 countries, as well as the B.1.525 variant that appeared in December 2020 and has spread across 23 countries.
According to David, the B.1.1.7 variant does not significantly affect the effectiveness of the vaccine. However, the B.1.351 variant from South Africa has been discovered to reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine through a number of studies.
“This mutation has the potential to make the vaccines less efficient, which is not the same as being inefficient. With one or even three mutations, hopefully the antibodies will recognize the virus variant,” said David.
Now, efforts to control the disease must be accelerated, including vaccination coverage. “The more people are vaccinated, the lower the virus transmission. However, [vaccinations] must also be coupled by other efforts, such as complying with health protocols,” he said.
Based on second degree contact tracing, yesterday, dozens of targeted individuals refused to get tested out of fear.
Regarding the emergence of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant in Indonesia, the government is tracing the close contacts of those exposed to the new variant, including A (46), a migrant worker from Kubangjati village, Ketanggungan district, Brebes regency, Central Java, who was affected by the B.1.17 variant. Based on second degree contact tracing, yesterday, dozens of targeted individuals refused to get tested out of fear.
Molecular surveillance
The emergence of the new virus variants demands enhanced surveillance, specifically through molecular landscape surveys. “Surveillance allows early detection and can prevent further spread. It doesn’t have to be WGS [whole genome sequencing] because it is expensive and takes longer, but it can target the genes that code for changes in the protein spike. So, we need to modify the PCR [polymerase chain reaction] tests,” David said.
Aligning Bioinformatics researcher and COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium member Riza Arief Putranto warned that underestimating the new variants would trigger a wave of more intense outbreaks, as has happened in Brazil.
Imperial College London research epidemiologist Nuno Faria, and referenced by Natura shows, the P.1 variant has 17 mutations that change the proteins of SARS-CoV-2, including changes in the spike protein.
Meanwhile, a number of regions are accelerating COVID-19 vaccinations for the elderly. Jakarta Health Agency public division head Fifi Mulyani said that the agency was also obligated to serve elderly residents who do not have a Jakarta identity card but have been in Jakarta for the last six months as indicated by a certificate from neighborhood and community units (RT/RW).