Everything we need know about variant from South Africa

Has this latest variant been found in Ireland?

THERE have been three cases of the South African variant of Covid-19 discovered in Ireland but it is feared that there may be many more cases here undetected.

Where has it come from?

IT emerged after the first wave of coronavirus at Nelson Mandela Bay, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, in mid-December. South Africa picked up the strain through genomic sequencing.

Where else was it found?

CONFIRMED cases have also been announced in France, Japan and Britain. It is likely to be circulating in many countries but not detected as only a few nations have the genomic sequencing ability to spot it in low numbers.

What is being done now to tackle its spread here?

TRAVELLERS coming here from South Africa must produce a negative PCR Covid test on arrival – the test must have been done less than 72 hours prior to arrival.

What does it mean for the fight against the virus?

ONE mutation in the new strain, called N501Y, is thought to help the virus become more infectious – and spread more easily. That means measures such as social distancing, wearing masks and avoiding unnecessary contacts have become more important. Scientists believe it is even more transmissible than the UK strain, which is 50% more infectious than regular Covid.

What about the vaccine?

SCIENTISTS are undecided about whether it will impact the current iteration of Covid vaccines. Dr Susan Hopkins, from Public Health England, said that there is no evidence yet of this but John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, said the strain was more concerning than the UK one.

He said it has ‘pretty substantial changes in the structure of the protein’, meaning vaccines could fail to work.

Scientists will test the blood of those who have been vaccinated against coronavirus, or have recovered from it, to ensure they can fight off the new strain. The strain has a series of mutates on its spike protein, which it uses to latch onto and enter human cells. Covid vaccines work by training the body to spot the virus’s spike protein.

If the spike mutates so much that it becomes unrecognisable, then it could render the vaccines useless or make them less potent.