{"id":258880,"date":"2021-05-26T01:14:43","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T22:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/"},"modified":"2021-05-26T01:14:43","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T22:14:43","slug":"what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"#What we know about the COVID variant first found in India"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2947a4d9543\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2947a4d9543\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/#Why_is_there_an_extra_number_at_the_end_of_B1617\" >Why is there an extra number at the end of B.1.617?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/#Its_spreading_quickly_in_the_United_Kingdom_right\" >It\u2019s spreading quickly in the United Kingdom, right?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/#How_contagious_is_B16172\" >How contagious is B.1.617.2?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/#Is_B16172_associated_with_severe_COVID-19_including_hospitalizations_and_deaths\" >Is B.1.617.2 associated with severe COVID-19, including hospitalizations and deaths?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/#What_is_%E2%80%9Cvaccine_escape%E2%80%9D_and_how_does_it_apply_to_B1617\" >What is \u201cvaccine escape\u201d and how does it apply to B.1.617?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/#Two_doses_is_better_than_one_right\" >Two doses is better than one, right?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/#Why_does_the_AstraZeneca_vaccine_have_a_much_lower_effectiveness_versus_Pfizer\" >Why does the AstraZeneca vaccine have a much lower effectiveness versus Pfizer?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/#How_does_whats_happening_in_Britain_apply_to_Canada_and_the_rest_of_the_world\" >How does what\u2019s happening in Britain apply to Canada and the rest of the world?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#What we know about the COVID variant first found in India<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                                                                        <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada\u2019s vaccination effort is picking up steam. Our case counts are going down. But there could be trouble brewing in the form of a new variant of concern.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As of now, the B.1.1.7 variant is the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2. It\u2019s one of four variants of concern (VOC) detected\u00a0in Canada through screening and genomic sequencing, and accounts for the vast majority of all VOC cases, according to <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/health\/coronavirus\/tracking-variants-of-the-novel-coronavirus-in-canada-1.5296141\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the CTV variant tracker<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B.1.1.7 (variant from Britain, which calls it the Kent variant, as it was first detected in that county): 182,682<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B.1.351(variant from South Africa): 1,472<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P.1 (variant from Brazil): 9,825<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B.1.617 (variant from India): 419<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This month, the focus has shifted from the established VOCs to the newest one, which was first detected in <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gisaid.org\/hcov19-variants\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India last October<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 mutate regularly, so it can take a while for new versions to be noticed and examined, which explains why it was May 6 for\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencemediacentre.org\/expert-reaction-to-vui-21apr-02-b-1-617-2-being-classified-by-phe-as-a-variant-of-concern\/?cli_action=1621097773.028\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public Health England to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cescalated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0B.1.617.2 from a variant under investigation to a variant of concern based on an assessment of transmissibility being at least equivalent to B.1.1.7 (Kent).\u201d On May 11, the World Health Organization <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euro.who.int\/en\/health-topics\/health-emergencies\/pages\/news\/news\/2021\/05\/q-and-a-covid-19-variants-and-what-they-mean-for-countries-and-individuals\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">did the same<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As of May 19, the B.1.617.2 variant had been detected in 43 countries on six continents, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/khub.net\/documents\/135939561\/430986542\/Effectiveness+of+COVID-19+vaccines+against+the+B.1.617.2+variant.pdf\/204c11a4-e02e-11f2-db19-b3664107ac42\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">according to<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Public Health England.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The newness of B.1.617 as a VOC means t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he number of cases reported so far in Canada is almost certainly low. On Monday, B.C.\u2019s Centre for Disease Control reported <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/vancouversun.com\/news\/local-news\/covid-19-variant-b-1-617-from-india-is-not-taking-over-in-b-c-latest-data-shows\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">378 cases<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> had been detected, as of the week ending on May 15.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_there_an_extra_number_at_the_end_of_B1617\"><\/span><b>Why is there an extra number at the end of B.1.617?\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are now <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-021-01390-4\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">three subtypes of the Indian variant<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, so a tweak to its name was required. The original became B.1.617.1 while the two others are called B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.3. Each has slightly different personalities (i.e., mutations). It\u2019s the second subtype,\u00a0B.1617.2,\u00a0that is of concern in Britain.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_spreading_quickly_in_the_United_Kingdom_right\"><\/span><b>It\u2019s spreading quickly in the United Kingdom, right?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts expect that B.1.617.2 will overtake B.1.1.7 within a matter of weeks to become the dominant strain in Britain. Such <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-021-01390-4\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201clineage replacement\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has occurred several times during this pandemic, most famously with the arrival of the British variant, B.1.1.7.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right now, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/covid-cases\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Britain\u2019s overall case counts are low<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, around 25 per million population, compared to Canada\u2019s seven-day average of roughly 100 per million population. \u201cT<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">his is like a little epidemic,\u201d explains Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases physician at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, where the variant takes over even while there are low overall levels of transmission. What is concerning is that, when B.1.1.7 displayed that same pattern, that takeover of the top spot was followed by a wave in Canada\u00a0and elsewhere. But there is one notable difference, time: we\u2019re steadily getting vaccinated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_contagious_is_B16172\"><\/span><b>How contagious is B.1.617.2?\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re not sure. Yes, that\u2019s frustrating. But with new variants it takes time for researchers to find answers. Luckily for the world, Britain is a leader in genomic testing and sequencing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One reason for the uncertainty: some B.1.617.2 outbreaks in Britain are still growing while <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jburnmurdoch\/status\/1396531272202215437?s=20\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">others are subsiding<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Still, experts expect that B.1.617.2 is more transmissible than B.1.1.7. They just aren\u2019t sure by how much.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And while cases of B.1.617.2 are rising slightly in Britain, that increase is concentrated in less-vaccinated groups, especially the young, according to <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jburnmurdoch\/status\/1396531256800731139?s=20\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">data crunched<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Financial Times<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. (Britain is only slightly in front of Canada in terms of the share of its population given first doses, though it\u2019s much further ahead in second doses; it\u2019s also lowering the age of eligibility very slowly, only recently\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/988193\/Vaccine_surveillance_report_-_week_20.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">extending it<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0to those under 40 years old.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_B16172_associated_with_severe_COVID-19_including_hospitalizations_and_deaths\"><\/span><b>Is B.1.617.2 associated with severe COVID-19, including hospitalizations and deaths?\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is still to be determined. On May 23, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/vaccines-highly-effective-against-b-1-617-2-variant-after-2-doses\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the British government stated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that, as with other variants, the vaccines\u2019 effectiveness against hospitalizations and deaths caused by B.1.617.2 is expected, though it cautioned, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are currently insufficient cases and follow-up periods to estimate vaccine effectiveness against severe outcomes from the B.1.617.2 variant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it stands, none of the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mutations in the B.1.617 subtypes are linked to increased severity, Julian Tang, a consultant virologist at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-021-01390-4\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">told <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nature<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As well, data from earlier in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">May from <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-021-01390-4\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the town of Bolton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a B.1.617.2 hotspot in northwest England, showed that of 18 hospitalizations due to the VOC, only five people had received one dose of vaccine and only one had both doses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>And remember, all COVID-19 vaccines have proved highly effective against severe symptoms, including hospitalizations and deaths.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_%E2%80%9Cvaccine_escape%E2%80%9D_and_how_does_it_apply_to_B1617\"><\/span><b>What is \u201cvaccine escape\u201d and how does it apply to B.1.617?\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vaccine escape sounds ominous, but is shorthand for whether a virus can evade the immune response generated by vaccination. None of the COVID-19 vaccines are perfect, so there will always be some vaccine escape. The question is whether it increases with B.1.617.2.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Very early data shows that the variant is hitting younger, largely unvaccinated populations the hardest, which suggests that the current vaccines are doing OK against the newest variant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Two_doses_is_better_than_one_right\"><\/span><strong>T<\/strong><b>wo doses is better than one, right?\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two doses of a two-dose vaccine is always better than one. And in the case of this new VOC, that full vaccination status could be crucial.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On May 23, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/khub.net\/documents\/135939561\/430986542\/Effectiveness+of+COVID-19+vaccines+against+the+B.1.617.2+variant.pdf\/204c11a4-e02e-11f2-db19-b3664107ac42\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public Health England released pre-print research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into how well vaccines stand up to the new VOC found that \u201ceffectiveness was notably lower after one dose of vaccine\u201d compared to how well they withstood B.1.1.7.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In particular, it found that the overall effectiveness of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines\u2014which are the two main vaccines in Britain\u2014went from 51.1 per cent against B.1.1.7 to 33.5 per cent against the newer Indian variant. (While those numbers are precise, researchers caution that they are generated from <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/khub.net\/documents\/135939561\/430986542\/Effectiveness+of+COVID-19+vaccines+against+the+B.1.617.2+variant.pdf\/204c11a4-e02e-11f2-db19-b3664107ac42\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">confidence interval ranges<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. So that 33.5 per cent is a range from 20.6 to 44.3, while 51.1 is a range from 47.3 to 54.7, so the difference in the effectiveness of first doses against each of the two VOCS may or may not turn out to be as wide as initially thought.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, Pfizer and AstraZeneca held up after two doses. In particular, Pfizer\u2019s effectiveness fell only to 87.9 per cent against\u00a0B.1.617.2, from 93.4 per cent against B.1.1.7. And with the AstraZeneca vaccine, that two-dose effectiveness dropped to 59.8 per cent from 66.1 per cent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s worth remembering that the immunity provided by vaccines can reduce the intensity of the disease if one gets the virus after one dose or two. \u201cOne of the thing people have been pointing to is that it [a vaccine] might convert COVID to a cold rather than a hospitalization or death situation,\u201d Saxinger notes.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_does_the_AstraZeneca_vaccine_have_a_much_lower_effectiveness_versus_Pfizer\"><\/span><b>Why does the AstraZeneca vaccine have a much lower effectiveness versus Pfizer?\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts aren\u2019t sure, but think it may be a matter of timing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Britain, second doses of the Pfizer vaccine are being administered at the 28-day mark, however authorities extended the interval between doses to 12 weeks for AstraZeneca. That\u2019s partly because of its \u201cfirst dose first\u201d policy, and because of real-world data showing that AstraZeneca is a \u201cslow burn\u201d vaccine that takes time to build its strength. Indeed, the immune response after a first dose keeps growing to around 76 per cent efficacy, then, after a second shot at around 12 weeks, climbs further, reaching an efficacy of 82.4 per cent. In contrast, if doses were given less than six weeks apart, the efficacy was around 54 per cent, according <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/372\/bmj.n326\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to a pre-print for the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lancet<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that timing means that, relatively speaking, more people were fully vaccinated earlier with Pfizer and had a longer time to hit maximum immune response compared to those in the study who got AstraZeneca. As well, the <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/khub.net\/documents\/135939561\/430986542\/Effectiveness+of+COVID-19+vaccines+against+the+B.1.617.2+variant.pdf\/204c11a4-e02e-11f2-db19-b3664107ac42\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">study cuts off the reporting of symptoms after dose 2 at the 14 day mark<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Experts think that AstraZeneca\u2019s efficacy will continue to grow after that two-week mark. Meaghan Kall, an epidemiologist at Public Health England <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kallmemeg\/status\/1396394438524612608?s=20\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">explained<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The thinking is if the two vaccines had equivalent follow-up time you would see the gap narrow and efficacy become more similar.\u201d And the <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/vaccines-highly-effective-against-b-1-617-2-variant-after-2-doses\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">government press release<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> referenced that timing as a possible explanation for the differences in efficacy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_whats_happening_in_Britain_apply_to_Canada_and_the_rest_of_the_world\"><\/span><b>How does what\u2019s happening in Britain apply to Canada and the rest of the world?\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEarlier in this pandemic, it was like battling an unknown quantity,\u201d Saxinger notes. \u201cNow, it feels like a chess <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>, where we make a move and it [the virus] makes a move. We just have to make sure we are staying half a step ahead on our surveillance and on our vaccination strategy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In particular, we need to scale up our genomic sequencing of this new VOC to identify where it is spreading in the community. \u201cIn areas that seem to be showing activity, you might prioritize those hotspots for second vaccinations being faster than in other places,\u201d Saxinger suggests. Otherwise, cases could rise in a fourth wave.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think it is a wake-up call. We have to look at vaccine equity worldwide to make sure transmission is getting controlled everywhere,\u201d the infectious diseases doctor says. \u201cThe world is a very porous place right now. Border controls don\u2019t matter that much because there are still enough goods and people moving that we can see intercontinental spread of these [variants] quite rapidly, even with precautions in place.\u201d <\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If there is a cautionary tale, it is Singapore, which has famously tight border controls. Right now, it is in <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/week-asia\/health-environment\/article\/3134497\/far-out-woods-how-covid-19-variant-put-singapore-back\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the midst of<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an outbreak of COVID-19, and genomic sequencing confirmed that those cases are the B.1.617.2 variant.<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&#038;version=v10.0\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/news\/what-we-know-about-the-covid-variant-first-found-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#What we know about the COVID variant first found in India&#8221; Canada\u2019s vaccination effort is picking up steam. Our case counts are going down. But there could be trouble brewing in the form of a new variant of concern.\u00a0 As of now, the B.1.1.7 variant is the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2. It\u2019s one of four&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":258881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SAMPLES-TREBLE-MAY25-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1545,1356,67806,102100,84966],"class_list":["post-258880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-editors-picks","tag-variants-of-concern","tag-vaxx-populi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}