KUCHING – Viruses mutate all the time. And with each mutation, they could either become weaker or they could become more severe by gaining better attributes to infect people – and even evade antibodies already gained by fully vaccinated persons.
Monash University Malaysia academic and molecular virologist Prof Sunil Kumar Lal said this when asked to comment on the new B.1.1.529 Covid-19 variant red-flagged in South Africa.
“What is urgently needed is a global effort to stem the spread of variants like these, of which very little information is available now,” said the academic who has extensively published on the coronavirus, including a teaching textbook Molecular Biology of the SARS Coronavirus.
Sunil said: “The good news is scientists are frantically sequencing this new variant which probably has a ‘constellation of mutations’. This can trigger a new wave of infections and clusters since the transmission from these variants is much more fluid and efficient, and can have a direct impact on disease severity.”
Sunil cautioned: “Only time will tell if this new variant is able to bypass the current immune protection that double-vaccinated individuals have acquired against Covid-19.”
The new strain was first identified in South Africa and is known to have spread to neighbouring Botswana. It has also been detected in travellers to Hong Kong from South Africa.
In an immediate response to the rise of this new variant, several countries including Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia are putting in place stricter quarantine measures and banning flights from South Africa.
Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in a press conference yesterday said those with a history of travel to South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe in the last 14 days are not permitted to enter Malaysia.
However, he said Malaysian citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders are allowed to enter the country but must observe a 14-day mandatory quarantine at designated quarantine centres.
To date, Malaysia has not recorded any cases of the emerging B.1.1.529 variant detected in South Africa which scientists there have tagged as a variant of concern. – The Vibes, November 27, 2021
