Three coronavirus variants are spreading in the US. Here’s what we know about them
As if the original coronavirus wasn’t enough to worry about, there are now three other variants of the pathogen circulating in the U.S. that appear to spread more easily and quickly between people.
Although concerning, scientists say the virus is just doing what it can to survive, and that means regularly changing through mutations, producing new — and expected — variants along the way. Whereas some “emerge and disappear,” others “emerge and persist,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
But health experts say we can get a handle on the variants with the same preventive measures encouraged, and in some cases required, from the beginning of the pandemic: hand washing, physical distancing, mask wearing and quarantining when appropriate. Now, add double masking and coronavirus vaccination to the list.
The three variants of concern reported in the U.S. first surfaced in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa. Preliminary evidence suggests they are more transmissible, which could lead to more COVID-19 cases, more strain on health care systems, more hospitalizations and potentially more deaths.
January had 95,211 American deaths from the coronavirus — the most of any month since the pandemic began, and nearly 20,000 more than in December, according to The COVID Tracking Project. More people were hospitalized on average than any other month, but that number has been on a steady decline since at least Jan. 12.
So far, both of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. appear to protect against the new variants, but studies are underway to understand if and under what circumstances the variants can render the current vaccines ineffective.
“The ability to evade vaccine-induced immunity would likely be the most concerning because once a large proportion of the population is vaccinated, there will be immune pressure that could favor and accelerate emergence of such variants by selecting for ‘escape mutants,’” the CDC says. “There is no evidence that this is occurring, and most experts believe escape mutants are unlikely to emerge because of the nature of the virus.”
There is a fourth coronavirus variant that emerged in California in July, but wasn’t noticed until November, The New York Times reported. It made up “more than half of the virus genome samples” collected in Los Angeles by Jan. 13, but more evidence is needed to determine how contagious it is compared to the other variants.
The California variant has been found in several states across the country. The CDC does not recognize it as one of concern.
Here’s what scientists know about the variants spreading in the U.S.:
Variant from the U.K — B.1.1.7
The coronavirus variant was first identified in September in the U.K. and was first detected in the U.S. in Colorado at the end of December, according to the CDC. It’s called B.1.1.7.
Studies show this variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants. Experts in the U.K. say it may also “be associated with an increased risk of death… but more studies are needed to confirm this finding,” the CDC says.
In laboratory research, the Moderna vaccine was able to produce similarly high levels of antibodies against the U.K. coronavirus variant compared to other variants. Pfizer-BioNTech also announced its vaccine protected against the variant in lab studies.
COVID-19 vaccines from Novavax and Johnson & Johnson, which are not yet authorized in the U.S., also appeared to offer protection against the U.K. variant during Phase 3 clinical trials. Health officials expect the companies to request emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration soon.
B.1.1.7 has 17 mutations in its genome, with eight mutations in the spike protein, which the coronavirus uses to enter human cells.
There are 467 cases of the U.K. variant reported in the U.S. across 32 states as of Feb. 1.
Variant from South Africa — B.1.351
The coronavirus variant from South Africa was originally detected in early October, and emerged independently of the U.K. variant, the CDC says. It’s called B.1.351.
The first two U.S. cases were found in South Carolina at the end of January in two people with no connection to each other or travel history to South Africa. A third was confirmed Saturday in Maryland, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Studies show this variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants, but there’s no evidence that suggests it’s more deadly. Novavax’s Phase 3 clinical trial for its vaccine revealed a prior infection with the original coronavirus variant may not “completely protect” against infection with the South African variant.
However, vaccination does protect against B.1.351.
Moderna said there was a “sixfold reduction” in its vaccine’s antibodies’ effectiveness against the South African variant, but levels of the protective proteins remain above those “that are expected to be protective.”
COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax all produced sufficient antibodies against the variant in lab studies.
B.1.351 has 10 mutations located in the spike protein.
There are 3 cases of the South African variant in the U.S. across two states as of Feb. 1.
Variant from Brazil — P.1
The coronavirus variant from Brazil was first detected in early January and first confirmed in the U.S. in Minnesota at the end of the month in someone with travel history. It’s called P.1.
Studies show this variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants, and emerging evidence suggests it may have the ability to reinfect people who have already been infected with the original coronavirus variant, the CDC says.
The agency says research so far shows the vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson protect against the variant from Brazil, but more studies are needed. Some companies say its vaccine protects against “all” variants, while others do not specifically mention P.1.
P.1 has three mutations in the spike protein.
There is one reported case of the Brazilian variant in one state as of Feb. 1.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 2:25 PM.
