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[Science in 5]

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Vismita Gupta-Smith:[br]When you hear about variants -

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variants of concern,[br]variants of interest -

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mutations - double or triple mutations -

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what does that mean?

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And what action does the public [br]need to take to protect themselves?

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Hello, and welcome to Science in 5.

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I'm Vismita Gupta-Smith.

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Giving us an update on variants today[br]is Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove.

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Maria, give us an update on the variants[br]that are circulating right now.

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Maria Van Kerkhove:[br]Thanks for having me back.

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There are several virus variants[br]that WHO is tracking around the world.

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The SARS-CoV-2 virus,[br]the virus that causes COVID-19,

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is evolving.

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This is a natural evolution,

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and the virus is expected to change,[br]the more the virus circulates around.

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Currently, there are[br]four variants of concern

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that WHO is tracking around the world:

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the B.1.1.7, which was[br]first identified in the United Kingdom;

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the B.1.351, which was[br]first identified in South Africa;

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the P.1 variant, which was[br]first identified in Japan

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from travelers from Brazil;

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and now we've recently[br]classified the B.1.617,

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which was first identified in India.

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Now, it's really important that you look[br]at the latest information from WHO

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because this is a fast-changing situation.

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The latest information we have[br]on all of our variants of interest

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and variants of concern[br]that we are tracking

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are released on our website[br]in our weekly epidemiological sitrep.

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VGS: Maria, how does WHO[br]classify a variant

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as a variant of interest[br]or a variant of concern?

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MVK: Variants of interest have properties,

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have mutations that have been identified[br]that need further study.

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Variants of concern[br]have demonstrated changes.

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For example, you may have[br]increased transmissibility;

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there may be a change[br]in disease presentation or severity;

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or there may be a change in our ability

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to control the virus with public health[br]and social measures,

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or the use of diagnostics,[br]therapeutics and vaccines.

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So the recent variant of concern,[br]the B.1.617, for example,

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has demonstrated[br]increased transmissibility,

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and this is why this has been classified[br]as a variant of concern.

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So you'll notice when I said[br]a variant of concern,

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I named it by a number,[br]for example, B.1.617,

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and I didn't call it[br]a country name variant.

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It's really important[br]that we don't do that -

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we don't say country X variant -

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because that really adds a stigma[br]associated with these variants.

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And it's important that surveillance[br]is occurring around the world,

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and we detect these variants very quickly,

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the information is shared[br]so that it can be analyzed

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so that we understand[br]the potential implications

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once they are identified.

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VGS: What does this mean for the public?

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MVK: It means that we need[br]to do everything that we can

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to prevent infections

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and reduce the spread[br]of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,

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whether it's a virus variant,

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a variant of interest

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or a variant of concern or not.

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The SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect us,[br]and it can spread between people.

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So it means to take[br]all of the measures that you can

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to reduce your exposure

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in the possibility[br]of you getting infected.

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It means physical distancing,

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avoiding crowded spaces,

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spending more time outdoors than indoors.

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If you are indoors, make sure[br]that there's good ventilation.

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It's about having clean hands

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and wearing a mask properly[br]over your nose and your mouth,

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practicing respiratory etiquette,

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being well-informed.

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And no matter what you do,

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know what your risk is[br]and take steps to lower your risk.

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And lastly, when it's your turn,

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get vaccinated.

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There are many studies underway

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studying the properties[br]of each of these variants of concern

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in terms of transmissibility, severity,

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and impact on diagnostics,[br]therapeutics and vaccines.

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So far from the information that we have[br]from the studies that are underway

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and the results that are available,

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the public health and social measures,

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the diagnostics,[br]therapeutics, and vaccines

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do work against these virus variants.

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We are learning every day

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and as soon as we have more information,

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we will share this with you.

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VGS: Thank you, Maria.

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That was Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove[br]giving us an update on virus variants.

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Until next time then.

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Stay safe, stay healthy,[br]and stick with science.

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Subtitles by Maurício Kakuei Tanaka[br]Review by Carol Wang