New R1 Covid variant has several concerning mutations, experts warn

A NEW Covid variant has several mutations of importance, experts have warned.

It is known as R1 and has been called a variant to be monitored, due to its dangerous characteristics.

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US health officials said that “although the R.1 variant is not currently identified as a CDC variant of concern or interest, it does have several mutations of importance”.

Some of these indicate that it may escape vaccine protection, although they are still the best method to protect against Covid.

American scientist William Haseltine, who was a professor at Harvard Medical School, wrote in Forbes: “The variant contains five mutations previously noted in variants of concern or interest… It also contains many unique mutations.”

So what does this mean? We will explain everything you need to know.

What is the origin of R1?

The strain originated in Japan, it’s understood, reaching 37 countries in total so far.

Screening positive results for the strain has led to its detection in more than 10,500 cases around the world.

It may also have been responsible for many other cases.

R1 was found in 20 cases across the UK between February and May 2012.

Public Health England have labelled it as something it is “monitoring”.

R1 has been reported in 2200 cases in the US.

Can vaccines be used to combat R1?

R1 mutations can also be found in other deadly strains.

It also includes E484K found in Beta (South Africa), Gamma (Brazil)

It has been demonstrated that these mutations can be used to avoid antibodies. Antibodies are proteins found in the blood to fight infection.

R1 attacked a Kentucky care home, killing 90 percent of the residents and 53 percent of workers.

46 Covid cases were discovered, with 26 residents (eight of them fully vaccinated) and 20 healthcare workers (four vaccinated).

The virus was caught by a mix of unvaccinated and vaccinated people in care homes, with 25% of residents getting it and 7% of workers.

The CDC said the investigation supports “concerns about potential reduced protective immunity to R.1”.

“In addition, four possible reinfections were identified, providing some evidence of limited or waning natural immunity to this variant”, the report warned.

The CDC concluded that vaccines against R1 are less effective than the original coronavirus strain.

Three residents were killed, one of them double-jabbed.

Prof Haseltine said that R1’s prevalence in Japan was “the first warning, that there was a virus that spreads through a fully vaccinated population”, and that the strain “has a potential to get around”.

Is R1 less transmissible?

Prof Haseltine said R1 has the “the Triad” of mutations that is “the parent of all variants of concern or, interest including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Lambda, and Mu”.

These three mutations were all present in the Wuhan variant in early 2020.

Two of the triad mutants have unidentified characteristics.

But the third, D614G, “increases infectivity”, Prof Haseltine said.

In the meantime, the study at the care home showed that the vaccine had at least 87 percent effectiveness against R1 Covid, which is any symptomatic disease.

Three times more attacks were reported by residents of care homes than in those who had not been given the vaccine, indicating that the vaccine does indeed suppress the spread of the R1 variant.

Are we concerned?

Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Health Security, told Health: “I don’t suspect it will be a major problem because it doesn’t have the ability to displace Delta.

“It’s really hard for these types of mutations to get any foothold in a country that has the Delta variant present.”

There will be many more variants of this model.

“What’s important to remember about all these is that it’s hard for them to do anything on a grand scale when the country is already so bathed in the most fit version of the virus.”

Despite being here, R1 has not seen much success in the UK.

It could be that R1 is not able to compete with Delta, which was first seen in India and is now the dominant brand in the UK.

Nevertheless, Prof Haseltine said: “R1 is a variant to watch.

“It has established a foothold in both Japan and the United States.

“In addition to several mutations notably in the spike and nucleocapsid protein in common with variants of concern, R.1 has a set of unique mutations that may confer an additional advantage in transmission, replication, and immune suppression.”