1 00:00:00,299 --> 00:00:05,130 As the pandemic continues - variants have become the latest concern 2 00:00:05,130 --> 00:00:10,320 with notable examples detected in South Africa, Brazil and the UK. 3 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:15,735 But variants are complicated. Each one is made up of a collection of mutations, 4 00:00:15,735 --> 00:00:22,379 all of which have the potential to change the SARS-CoV-2 virus in unexpected ways. 5 00:00:22,379 --> 00:00:26,030 So what do scientists mean when they talk about variants 6 00:00:26,030 --> 00:00:29,735 and what might this mean for the future of the pandemic? 7 00:00:30,854 --> 00:00:34,828 Viruses multiply by copying their genomes over and over. 8 00:00:34,828 --> 00:00:38,953 But like an old photocopier, these copies aren’t always perfect. 9 00:00:38,953 --> 00:00:42,996 Each of these imperfect copies is a variant. 10 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:47,376 Normally the imperfections or mutations don’t change how the virus behaves 11 00:00:47,376 --> 00:00:51,780 and they can often make it less successful than the original strain. 12 00:00:51,780 --> 00:00:56,431 But very rarely mutations can change the virus in some important ways. 13 00:00:56,431 --> 00:01:03,199 It could become more infectious, or more able to avoid the immune system. 14 00:01:03,199 --> 00:01:06,000 The more a virus is allowed to replicate unchecked, 15 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,680 the more chance it has to accumulate these rare beneficial mutations. 16 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,871 That can occur when viruses are allowed to spread quickly through a population, 17 00:01:15,871 --> 00:01:18,554 or if they encounter a host that’s less able to fight them, 18 00:01:18,554 --> 00:01:24,417 such as people with compromised immune systems from medical treatment or those who are HIV+. 19 00:01:24,417 --> 00:01:31,180 If a particular set of mutations makes a variant more successful, it might become more prominent than others 20 00:01:31,180 --> 00:01:33,757 and that’s when it gets noticed. 21 00:01:33,757 --> 00:01:37,803 Epidemiologists may even decide to label it a ‘variant of concern’, 22 00:01:37,803 --> 00:01:42,330 like the examples identified in Brazil, South Africa and the UK. 23 00:01:42,330 --> 00:01:48,060 For months, scientists have been striving to work out what’s changed in these variants, 24 00:01:48,060 --> 00:01:50,060 and what those changes mean. 25 00:01:50,060 --> 00:01:56,180 Because a variant spreading doesn’t necessarily mean that it has an advantageous mutation. 26 00:01:56,180 --> 00:02:01,320 For example a small number of people could, by chance, move a variant from one region 27 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:06,310 to another, like tourists travelling back from popular vacation spots. 28 00:02:06,310 --> 00:02:09,592 This could cause that variant to start spreading in a new location 29 00:02:09,592 --> 00:02:13,794 even though there may be no significant change to the biology of the virus. 30 00:02:13,794 --> 00:02:17,200 This is called the Founder Effect. 31 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:21,828 Understanding why a variant has emerged requires a combination of studies. 32 00:02:21,828 --> 00:02:28,939 Epidemiology can help detect and trace new variants and flag new or worrying patterns of infection. 33 00:02:28,939 --> 00:02:35,666 Meanwhile lab studies can start to pinpoint how the mutations are changing the properties of the virus. 34 00:02:35,666 --> 00:02:42,043 And studies like these are starting to identify mutations that have given the virus an upper hand. 35 00:02:42,043 --> 00:02:46,940 Some variants are faster spreading, and there are hints that certain mutations 36 00:02:46,940 --> 00:02:52,510 could start to weaken or even evade natural and vaccine derived immunity. 37 00:02:52,510 --> 00:02:58,470 For example, the D614G mutation, known to virologists as Doug, spread widely in the 38 00:02:58,470 --> 00:03:02,290 early days of the pandemic and can be seen in almost all variants. 39 00:03:02,290 --> 00:03:08,440 It affects the spike protein that coronavirus particles use to penetrate cells. A mutation 40 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,246 in the genome changes one amino acid for another, 41 00:03:11,246 --> 00:03:17,409 and makes the new variant more infectious than the original virus. 42 00:03:17,409 --> 00:03:25,658 N501Y also known as Nelly, is another spike protein mutation which appears to be associated with increased transmissibility. 43 00:03:25,658 --> 00:03:34,599 This mutation has been detected in the B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1 strains - all variants of concern. 44 00:03:34,599 --> 00:03:43,610 The worry of so-called ‘immune escape’ has also been hinted at with another spike protein mutation, E484K or Eek. 45 00:03:43,610 --> 00:03:51,270 Eek has been spotted in B.1.351 and P.1, the variants detected in South Africa and Brazil. 46 00:03:51,270 --> 00:03:57,960 Lab studies in early in 2021 showed that the variant could evade some virus-blocking antibodies, 47 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:04,590 while trials in South Africa suggested that the variant reduced the efficacy of several vaccines. 48 00:04:04,590 --> 00:04:09,820 Despite these worries, the coronavirus is actually mutating very slowly compared to 49 00:04:09,820 --> 00:04:16,699 something like influenza and it seems like the vaccines developed so far will remain at least partly effective. 50 00:04:16,699 --> 00:04:21,774 But scientists are still taking the threat posed by variants seriously. 51 00:04:21,774 --> 00:04:25,639 And there are several things that can be done to help tackle it. 52 00:04:25,639 --> 00:04:30,000 Firstly, to do anything researchers need data 53 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:37,169 - it’s very important to monitor and trace the emergence of variants and that isn’t always simple to do. 54 00:04:37,169 --> 00:04:41,668 Organisations like the COVID-19 Genomics UK consortium, or COG-UK, 55 00:04:41,668 --> 00:04:47,527 have stepped up their efforts to combine fast sequencing with efficient data sharing. 56 00:04:47,527 --> 00:04:53,330 COG-UK has already sequenced over 400,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes. 57 00:04:53,330 --> 00:04:58,910 Next, researchers need to look forward to how these mutated viruses could affect global 58 00:04:58,910 --> 00:05:06,617 vaccination efforts. Existing vaccines can be redesigned and combinations of vaccines are also being tested 59 00:05:06,617 --> 00:05:14,290 but it could be difficult to perform reliable clinical trials amid the ongoing vaccination programmes. 60 00:05:14,290 --> 00:05:18,497 Right now though, work needs to continue at a national level. 61 00:05:18,497 --> 00:05:23,654 Public health policies such as track and trace, social distancing and vaccine roll-outs 62 00:05:23,654 --> 00:05:30,849 are powerful tools to interrupt transmission and keep tabs on new variants. 63 00:05:30,849 --> 00:05:34,441 After all, every time the virus is prevented from spreading, 64 00:05:34,441 --> 00:05:36,986 it's also prevented from mutating, 65 00:05:36,986 --> 00:05:41,525 nipping new variants in the bud before they even have a chance to develop.