"Horrific New Variant Expected to Be Twice as Prevalent as Delta"... UK Locks Down Again

Nu, Carrying 32 Mutations... Twice as Many as Delta

Coronavirus observed under a microscope. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Recently, concerns have grown as the COVID-19 variant 'Nu (B.1.1.529)' was discovered in Botswana, Africa, prompting the UK to take active measures such as blocking flights from countries where the variant is spreading.

On the 25th (local time), UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced plans to add six African countries to the travel ban 'Red List' and temporarily prohibit flights from these countries. Accordingly, from 12:00 noon on the 26th, flights arriving in the UK from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini (Swaziland) will be banned.

Secretary Javid said about the new variant, "It may have twice as many mutations as the Delta variant. This means it could be more transmissible and the vaccines we currently have may be less effective."

3D-printed model of a novel coronavirus particle.
Photo by Yonhap News

According to the UK media outlet Daily Mail, the 'Nu' variant was first identified in Botswana on the 11th. So far, a total of 10 infections have been confirmed: 3 in Botswana, 6 in South Africa, and a 36-year-old man who entered Hong Kong from South Africa.

The new variant's characteristic is that the spike protein protruding on the surface of the coronavirus has 32 mutations. The highly transmissible Delta variant had 16 mutations in the spike protein. While the Delta variant tries to unlock the cell door with 16 keys to immune cells, this new variant attempts immune cell evasion with 32 keys, raising concerns in the medical community about its potential risk.

The spike protein penetrates by binding to host cells, and mutations act as a kind of key to open the cells. A virologist at Imperial College London described the new variant as having a "terrifying spike profile."

The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to hold an emergency meeting on the 26th (local time) to name this variant and discuss whether to designate it as a 'variant of concern.'

Currently, WHO has designated four major variants of concern: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta, and five variants of interest: Eta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, and Mu. Therefore, foreign media expect this variant to be named 'Nu' (ν) following the Greek alphabet sequence.

Meanwhile, quarantine authorities are closely monitoring the possibility of the new variant entering the country. The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) stated at a briefing on the 26th, "Considering that the number of mutations in Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants is around ten, 32 mutations is a considerably high number."

Kim Eun-jin, head of the CDCH testing and analysis team, said, "Experts say that certain sites among the 32 mutations may increase infectivity or enhance immune evasion, so careful monitoring is necessary. The quarantine authorities agree and are conducting comprehensive surveillance and analysis of Africa, where mutations are occurring intensively."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.