On December 13, 2021, it was learned from the Tianjin Municipal Epidemic Prevention and Control Command that through the whole genome sequencing and sequence analysis of the new coronavirus imported from the respiratory tract specimens of asymptomatic infected people with the new coronavirus imported from outside Tianjin, the new coronavirus Olmi kerong variant strain was found for the first time in Chinese mainland.
At 3:00 p.m. on December 14, 2021, at the press conference, Chen Bin, deputy director of the Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission, reported on the spot that an inbound person in Guangzhou had routinely tested positive for the new coronavirus during the home isolation period after returning to Sui after the centralized isolation period in the outside city.
After review by the provincial and municipal centers for disease control and prevention, it was reported to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm that the new coronavirus was detected as a variant of Ami Kerong.
From Alpha, Beta, Gamma, to Delta, every peak of the epidemic seems to be related to the mutation of the new crown virus.
To date, when the latest and most mutant strain, the Omicron variant, emerged, people talked about discoloration and took steps such as expanding the vaccine booster vaccination program.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the 14th that 77 countries and regions around the world have reported the Aomi Kerong variant. WHO also said that Omiquerong is spreading at an unprecedented rate.
New strain of Omikejon
What is the difference between the Olmikeron mutant strain?
The coronavirus is an RNA virus, and this highly variable virus is not pure, but is mixed together in a large number of quasispecies.
The study found that there are a large number of mutated strains in the virus population transmitted in normal populations, and the new crown virus in the same person is not a completely identical virus, but has multiple virus quasi-species.
Compared with the previous variants of the new coronavirus such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, delta, etc., the Omiqueron variant is different.
There are many points of variation
The Omikejung variant carries 50 mutations, more than 30 incanthin proteins, more than all previous variants combined.
Very contagious
In South Africa, the recent rapid rise in cases has reached more than 17,000 new cases per day, faster than previous outbreaks of the new crown virus.
While there are more than 17,000 new cases per day, the number of daily deaths has not increased rapidly as in the previous outbreak of the new crown virus, with only 36 cases per day, and the mortality rate is only 0.2%, which is much smaller than the usual mortality rate of about 2% of the new crown virus infection.
It can be found that the mortality rate runs counter to the rapid rise in the number of cases.
This phenomenon suggests that the Omikeron variant strain may have low toxicity and low lethality.
I believe that many people will also ask, why does the new crown virus continue to mutate? What factors affect it?
Why does the coronavirus keep mutating?
As an RNA virus, the mutation is always present. So, these large amounts of variation are disordered, irregular, and directionless, is it impossible to predict?
Obviously not.
The general trend of mutation of the new crown virus is that the virulence is weakening, the pathogenicity and mortality rate are reduced, and the infectivity and immunogenicity are increased.
The new crown virus mutation will appear a more contagious and mortality mutant strain, and the strain that will eventually evolve is similar to the vaccine, which not only does not cause disease, but also inhibits the pathogenic variant strain.
This process can be considered as a mutated new coronavirus and then returned to a normal coronavirus that does not cause disease.
So far, the phenomenon of strong contagiousness and low fatality rate of the Omiljung mutant strain may be the way for the new coronavirus to return to a normal coronavirus state that is not pathogenic.
These constant, massive variations of viruses are not random, but are affected by changes in the environment and natural conditions.
What about vaccines for the Omikejong variant?
There are a large number of variants in Omikejong, and countries have begun to develop new vaccines against the Omiljung variant.
At present, the most internationally used COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA vaccines and domestically produced inactivated vaccines.
According to reports, on December 11, Kexing Holding Biotechnology Co., Ltd. said that with the assistance of relevant ministries and commissions of the state, relevant departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and partners, it has obtained nasopharyngeal swab samples of people infected with the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus on December 5, and cooperated with the team of Professor Qin Chuan of the Institute of Medical Laboratory Animals of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences to carry out virus isolation and whole gene sequencing, and has successfully isolated the Omicron variant and obtained the sequencing results.
Zheng Zhongwei, head of the vaccine research and development working group of the scientific research group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council, said that China's vaccines have a clear effect on the infection and re-transmission after infection caused by various major variants circulating in different regions, but in order to be prepared, the vaccine research and development of various routes of the Omicron strain is advancing rapidly. "Prepare, but don't necessarily use; be prepared, you can use it when you need it."
Zhong Nanshan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that in response to the Aomi Kerong mutant strain, many countries have noticed this problem very early, and have taken measures to find more than a dozen cases, and even adopted relatively strict control measures, which shows that through a year or two, the world has slowly realized that China's approach is right.
How to protect against new mutant strains?
In fact, the survival of different mutant strains requires three suitable environments: one is the large environment of nature; the second is the small environment around itself; and the third is the internal environment of internal immunity.
When the virus is pandemic, the natural environment, individuals can not change, can only start from themselves, do a good job of prevention and control.
For entry and exit management, closed-loop management to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
For inbound personnel, starting from the landing of the aircraft, the inspection of health identification cards, the inspection of body temperature, and the investigation of vaccination history and epidemiological history are carried out.
In daily life, you can improve the body's immunity, improve the internal environment, pay attention to regular life schedules, avoid staying up late, and correct the imbalance of the body in time.
Of course, people also need to wash their hands frequently, wear masks, maintain social distancing and other epidemic prevention measures, and more importantly, pay attention to vaccine information in a timely manner, actively vaccinate, and achieve herd immunity as soon as possible.
Expert of this article: Du Wenmin, MD, Chief Pharmacist, Professor, Director and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacovigilance and Drug Evaluation Center, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Adjunct Professor of Fudan University, Director of Canadian Holistic Medical Treatment Center