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The number of mutations affecting the coronavirus spike protein may make it more resistant to vaccines and some treatments

The number of mutations affecting the coronavirus spike protein may make it more resistant to vaccines and some treatments
2 hr 6 min ago

The Omicron variant has a number of troubling mutations. Here’s what we know about them so far

From CNN’s Maggie Fox

Omicron, the newest coronavirus variant, is also the quickest to be labeled a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO) because of its seemingly fast spread in South Africa and its many troubling mutations.

The first sample of the Omicron or B.1.1.529 lineage was taken November 9, according to WHO. It got noticed because of a surge of cases in South Africa.

“This new variant … seems to spread very quick!” Tulio de Oliveira, director of South Africa’s Center for Epidemic Response & Innovationand a genetics researcher at Stellenbosch University, said on Twitter.

Also, genetic sequencing showed it carried a large number of troubling mutations on the spike protein — the knoblike structure on the surface of the virus that it uses to grapple onto the cells it infects.

  • Some of those mutations were already recognized from other variants and were known to make them more dangerous, including one called E484K that can make the virus less recognizable to some antibodies — immune system proteins that are a frontline defense against infection and that form the basis of monoclonal antibody treatments.
  • It also carries a mutation called N501Y, which gave both the Alpha and Gamma variants their increased transmissibility. Just last week, Scott Weaver of the University of Texas Medical Branch and colleagues reported in the journal Nature that this particular mutation made the virus better at replicating in the upper airway — think in the nose and throat — and likely makes it more likely to spread when people breathe, sneeze and cough.
  • Like Delta, Omicron also carries a mutation called D614G, which appears to help the virus better attach to the cells it infects.

“The number of mutations per se does not mean that the new variant will cause any problems; although it may make it more likely to look different to the immune system,” Dr. Peter English, former chair of the British Medical Association’s Public Health Medicine Committee, said in a statement.

What worries scientists is the number of mutations affecting the spike protein. That’s because most of the leading vaccines target the spike protein. Vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and other companies all use just small pieces or genetic sequences of the virus and not whole virus, and all of them use bits of the spike protein to elicit immunity. So a change in the spike protein that made it less recognizable to immune system proteins and cells stimulated by a vaccine would be a problem.

So far, there’s no evidence this has happened but there is no way of knowing by looking at the mutations alone. Researchers will have to wait and see if more breakthrough infections are caused by Omicron than by other variants.

Coronavirus variants: Here's what we know

2 hr 24 min ago

What we know so far about the Omicron variant and its global spread

From CNN’s Rob Picheta

Countries in every part of the world are frantically putting in place travel restrictions, days after the new Omicron variant was first detected.

Here’s what we know so far on Monday.

  • Worldwide risk is ‘very high’: The overall global risk related to the new Omicron variant is “assessed as very high,” according to a World Health Organization (WHO) technical brief released Monday. “Depending on how transmissible the variant is and whether it could escape immunity, there could be future surges of Covid-19, which could have severe consequences,” it said.
  • Multiple countries have found cases: A number of nations are reporting their first cases of the variant, but the true number of Omicron infections is unknown and official reports depend heavily on how well a country is able to put genome sequencing in place on a mass scale. Countries in Europe, North America and elsewhere have detected cases since the first infections were found in southern Africa.
  • Omicron may spread faster than Delta: Based on early evidence seen in South Africa, the Omicron variant is transmitting faster than the Delta variant, said Salim Abdool Karim, an epidemiologist and former head of South Africa’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19. Little is known about the epidemiology of the strain, but Karim said on Monday: “We are expecting it to transmit faster. And based on the early evidence we see in South Africa, it is certainly transmitting faster than the Delta variant.”
  • US travel ban comes into force: New US travel restrictions on southern Africa have come into effect, as the Biden administration seeks to respond to concerns over the variant. The White House is restricting travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
2 hr 21 min ago

Fiji and the Philippines are latest nations to toughen entry rules in face of Omicron variant

From CNN’s Caitlin McGee in Auckland.

Fiji and the Philippines have joined multiple countries around the globe by strengthening entry restrictions in response to the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.

Fiji is toughening conditions for vaccinated citizens returning from so-called “red list” countries.

In a statement Monday, the country’s health ministry says Fijians traveling from those countries, which have always included southern African states, must undergo a series of measures.

These include isolating for five days prior to traveling to Fiji and testing negative 72 hours before departing to the Island nation. 

Once they arrive in Fiji, citizens will have to quarantine for 14 days with PCR tests carried out on day five and day 12.

The Philippines will meanwhile temporarily suspend plans to allow fully vaccinated international travelers to enter the country, the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson announced Monday.

The news comes following its decision to suspend flights from seven African countries on Saturday. 

The Philippines was set to ease border restrictions to allow quarantine-free travel for vaccinated tourists from “green-list” countries from December 1, but that date will now be delayed to December 15. 

2 hr ago

It will take weeks for clear evidence on Omicron, but it appears to transmit faster than Delta variant, says epidemiologist

From CNN’s Aditi Sangal

Salim Abdool Karim on November 29.
Salim Abdool Karim on November 29. (CNN)

Based on early evidence seen in South Africa, the Omicron Covid-19 variant is transmitting faster than the Delta variant, says Salim Abdool Karim, an epidemiologist and former head of South Africa’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19.

Karim told CNN’s John Berman on New Day Monday that there’s still a lot to learn about the traits of the variant, and it will be a couple weeks until more answers are clear.

“The reality is we’ve only know about this virus for just over a week, so we don’t really have the kind of data required to answer those questions definitively,” Karim said, when asked if the Omicron variant was more transmissible, more virulent and if it evades vaccines.

While little is known about the new variant and studies are underway, he said there are a few things that we can extrapolate and expect.

“Put very simply … Omicron, has mutations that are common to the other four previous variants of concern. So it has mutations that are similar to the Delta variant. So we are expecting it to transmit faster,” he told CNN. 

“And based on what we have seen with the overlap of the Beta variant, we are seeing some evidence of immune escape from antibodies. There will probably be some partial escape. And that’s what we are expecting,” Karim added.

“The data for that to confirm exactly those points that I’ve raised probably will take another two to three weeks.”

Symptoms of this variant in patients are also harder to pin-point, he said.

Watch:

3 hr 8 min ago

US travel restrictions have come into force

US President Joe Biden speaks to the media at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland as he arrives from Nantucket, Massachusetts, on November 28.
US President Joe Biden speaks to the media at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland as he arrives from Nantucket, Massachusetts, on November 28. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

New US travel restrictions on southern Africa have come into effect, as the Biden administration seeks to respond to concerns over the Omicron variant.

The Biden administration is restricting travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

Biden signed the official proclamation Friday restricting the travel of those “physically present” in the countries during the “14-day period preceding their entry, or attempted entry into the United States,” starting at one minute past midnight on Monday morning.

The proclamation includes a list of those exempted from the new restrictions, including US citizens, lawful permanent residents and non-citizens who are the spouses of citizens or permanent residents.

The director of the National Institutes of Health stressed Sunday that the newly emerged Covid-19 variant “ought to redouble” vaccination efforts and other mitigation strategies, saying that while much is unknown about the variant, action should be taken now to avoid “a situation that makes this worse.”

“It’s certainly not good news. We don’t know yet how much of an impact this will have. It ought to redouble our efforts to use the tools that we have, which are vaccinations and boosters, and to be sure we’re getting those to the rest of the world, too, which the US is doing more than any other country,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

3 hr 43 min ago

Several European countries have now found Omicron cases

From CNN’s Rob Picheta

A number of European countries have reported their first cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, as governments in the region race to understand the scale of its spread.

The UK has identified nine cases so far, with six of those reported in Scotland on Monday.

The Netherlands and Portugal have each discovered 13 infections — with all of Portugal’s cases being found among one Lisbon-based football team. The 13 Dutch cases were found after passengers arriving from South Africa were tested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Friday.

Germany has found three cases, while Italy, the Czech Republic and Belgium each have at least one. On Monday, Austria joined the list of nations declaring its first identified case.

The true number of Omicron cases across the continent is likely to be far higher, with sequencing being undertaken to identify which new infections have been caused by the new strain.

3 hr 47 min ago

Australia pauses further easing of border restrictions in response to new variant​

From CNN’s Hannah Ritchie

A view of Sydney Harbour is seen from a Virgin Australia aircraft departing the airport on November 6.
A view of Sydney Harbour is seen from a Virgin Australia aircraft departing the airport on November 6. (James D. Morgan/Getty Images)

Australia will temporarily pause the next phase of its border reopening plan to gather more information on the Omicron Covid-19 variant, its government announced Monday. 

Based on advice from the country’s National Security Committee and Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, international skilled visa holders, student cohorts and humanitarians, holiday makers and those holding provisional family visas will not be allowed into Australia until December 15. 

Under the country’s roadmap to safely reopen borders, these groups were due to be permitted entry on December 1. 

The temporary pause is effective immediately and will “ensure Australia can gather the information to better understand the Omicron variant, including the efficacy of the vaccine, the range of illness … and the level of transmission,” a statement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s office said Monday. 

Under Australia’s current border restrictions, only fully vaccinated citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate family — as well as fully vaccinated travellers from New Zealand and Singapore — are allowed in, with limited exemptions.

4 hr 54 min ago

All of Portugal’s reported Omicron cases are at one soccer club

From CNN’s Isa Soares and Aleks Klosok

Some 13 players for one Lisbon-based soccer team have tested positive for the Omicron variant, Portugal’s National Institute for Health (NIH) said Monday.

The infections, among members of the SAD Belenenses side, account for all of Portugal’s Omicron cases identified so far.

Belenenses’ Primeira Liga match against Benfica on Saturday was abandoned after the club was forced to name a team of nine players — including two goalkeepers — due to the outbreak.

Benfica — with two more players than their opponents — took a 7-0 lead by half-time. Belenenses then came back onto the field for the second period with only seven players.

The game was called off two minutes later when Joao Monteiro, a goalkeeper playing in midfield, was unable to continue. The referee was then forced to abandon the match which requires a minimum of seven players.

NIH director Dr. Ricardo Jorge said that one of the Belenenses players had recently taken a trip to South Africa.

In addition, another suspect case is being tested, which comes from a flight originating in Mozambique.

3 hr 28 min ago

Overall global risk related to Omicron variant is assessed as “very high,” WHO says

From CNN’s Lauren Kent in London

A man undergoes a COVID-19 test at the pre-departure area of Sydney International Airport on November 28, 2021.
A man undergoes a COVID-19 test at the pre-departure area of Sydney International Airport on November 28, 2021. (James D. Morgan/Getty Images)

The overall global risk related to the new Omicron variant “is assessed as very high,” according to a World Health Organization (WHO) technical brief released Monday.

Depending on how transmissible the variant is and whether it could escape immunity, “the likelihood of potential further spread of Omicron at the global level is high,” the WHO brief said.

Depending on these characteristics, there could be future surges of Covid-19, which could have severe consequences.”

The WHO expects data from ongoing further research to be available in the coming weeks. 

“Further research is needed to better understand the escape potential against vaccine- and infection-induced immunity,” the WHO said in the brief. “Despite uncertainties, it is reasonable to assume that currently available vaccines offer some protection against severe disease and death.”

The WHO urged member states to accelerate Covid-19 vaccination efforts among eligible populations, as well as “use a risk-based approach to adjust international travel measures in a timely manner.”

Source: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/covid-variant-omicron-11-29-21/h_ba3ad8e4fe31cd243ef13c4526ef4fbd