Coronavirus disease is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.  Older people and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness. The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol based rub frequently and not touching your face.  The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette.

Variant forms of the novel coronavirus which were first reported in South Africa and Brazil are less efficiently inhibited by antibodies from recovered patients and vaccinated individuals, a new study has confirmed. According to the research, published in the journal Cell, recovery from Covid-19 as well as vaccination may offer only incomplete protection against these mutant virus forms. This is worrisome because the rapid spread of variants that might not be efficiently inhibited by antibodies could undermine our current vaccination strategy,  said Stefan Pohlmann, a co-author of the study from the German Primate Centre in Gottingen.

Virus variants have mutations in the spike protein

These virus variants have mutations in the spike protein the structure on the surface of the virus that is responsible for attachment to host cells the researchers said. In order for the virus to enter a cell, they said it must first attach to the host cell surface using its spike protein, which is located on the viral envelope. The spike protein is also the target for antibody therapies and vaccines aimed at preventing the virus from replicating in the body, they researchers added.

Antibody used for Covid-19 therapy didn't inhibit South African, Brazilian coronavirus variants

Moreover, these variants were less well inhibited by antibodies from convalescent or vaccinated individuals, they partially bypassed the neutralising effect of the antibodies," said Jan Munch, another co-author of the study. The study noted that vaccination or recovery from Covid-19 may offer reduced protection from SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our findings show that it is important to limit the spread of the virus as much as possible until widespread vaccination is feasible. Otherwise, we risk the emergence of new variants that cannot be effectively controlled by the currently available vaccines, said Markus Hoffmann, first author of the study.

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