Explained: Now the Epsilon variant of COVID19 raises concerns in the US — why is it more resistant to vaccines?
After Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Lambda, now the Epsilon variant of COVID19 virus is in focus of the researchers in the United States. First found in the American state of California, here’s how the Epsilon variant is different from others. Are vaccines less effective? Read on to know more.
The mutations in Epsilon variant help it to totally evade specific monoclonal antibodies used in clinics and reduces the effectiveness of antibodies from the plasma of vaccinated people.
The Epsilon variant of COVID19, first reported from California in the United States in the concluding months of the last year is in the spotlight owing to the fresh surge of coronavirus cases in the US. As per the latest reports, the variant which is also denoted as B.1.429, was found to be the cause of infections in 15 per cent of all COVID19 cases in the US in February this year.
However, in June, the variant accounted for a per cent of the fresh COVID19 infections.
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As per US’s Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) , in addition to being slightly more infectious, the Epsilon variant also exhibits a modest decrease in susceptibility to a monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID19, which has been approved for an emergency use authorisation in the US.
But the fears around the Epsilon variant subsided in the last week of June when other antibody treatments administered proved to be effective against it.
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Following this, after almost six months, the CDC decided to downgrade Epsilon from a ‘Variant of Concern’ to a ‘Variant of Interest’ on June 29 due to increasing empirical evidence that the COVID19 vaccines and other treatments were found to be effective against it.
So what’s the risk from the Epsilon variant now?
It is reported that according to a study published by the University of Washington on July 2, three mutations (change in genetic structure when the virus makes copies of itself) in the spike protein of Epsilon variant of SARS-CoV-2 enable the virus to defend itself against the protection offered by current vaccines used in the US — Moderna,Pfizer-BioNTech, and Janssen.
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“To learn more about the characteristics of the Epsilon variant, the researchers tested the resilience against the Epsilon variant of plasma from people who were exposed to the virus, as well as vaccinated people. The neutralizing potency of the plasma against the Epsilon variant of concern was reduced about 2 to 3.5 fold,” the study mentioned.
“The mutations give this coronavirus variant of concern a means to totally evade specific monoclonal antibodies used in clinics and reduces the effectiveness of antibodies from the plasma of vaccinated people,” the study added.
What can be done to prevent the rise of new variants of COVID19 virus?
Higher the infections spread, more are the chances for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to achieve mutation while making copies of itself inside the human body. So, generic preventive measures against the COVID19 can help check the occurrence of newer variants.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) states that current measures to reduce transmission – including frequent hand washing, wearing a mask, physical distancing, good ventilation and avoiding crowded places or closed settings – continue to work against new variants by reducing the amount of viral transmission and therefore also reducing opportunities for the virus to mutate.
“Scaling up vaccine manufacturing and rolling out vaccines as quickly and widely as possible will also be critical ways of protecting people before they are exposed to the virus and the risk of new variants,”the WHO instruction to the public further stated.