Variant of concern ( SARS-CoV-2) :
Refers to a variant of SARS Cov 2 which can spread rapidly among human populations due to a mutation in their spike protein receptor that increases their binding affinity to the cells of host.
The SARS CoV-2 virus has been mutating ever since its emergence during the first pandemic and certain combinations of specific point mutations are proving to be more lethal than others.
The term is assigned to a variant by CDC / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, USA) .
A variant of concern will have the below charchteristics :
1. Increased transmissibility among human populations
2. More severe and lethal disease.
3. Higher morbidity and mortality.
4. Ability to evade detection by diagnostic tests.
5. Increased risk of Long Covid syndrome.
6. Decreased susceptibility to antiviral drugs.
7. Decreased susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies, either therapeutic (e.g., convalescent plasma or monoclonal antibodies) or in laboratory experiments.
8. Ability to evade natural immunity (e.g., causing reinfections).
9. Ability to infect vaccinated individuals.
10. Increased risk of particular conditions such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome or long-haul COVID.
11. Increased affinity for particular demographic or clinical groups, such as children or immunocompromised individuals.
No comments:
Post a Comment