New dominant varieties in Portugal and how to stop their spread? – Executive Digest

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, scientific terms such as “SARS-CoV-2 variants” have become part of the common vocabulary, occupying newspaper headlines and sparking public interest. The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the practice of naming these variants from Greek letters – such as alpha, beta and gamma – in an attempt to ease communication and avoid stigmatizing the countries where these variants were initially discovered. Among the various mutations, the BA.2 lineage of the Ómicron variant has become one of the most dominant in Portugal.

In the Deco/Proteste article, you can see below which new varieties dominate our country and how to prevent their spread:

How do SARS-CoV-2 strains develop and are they diagnosed?

Corona viruses (CoV) form a large family of viruses capable of causing respiratory diseases, which can range from a simple cold to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). CoV). These are zoonotic diseases, i.e. they are transmitted from animals to humans. SARS-CoV-2 (which causes Covid-19) a A new strain It has not yet been identified in humans. The new variants observed globally are mutations of SARS-CoV-2.

to Viral mutations They are common, especially among RNA viruses – those that have ribonucleic acid as their genetic material (such as coronaviruses) – and most have no significant effect. However, some mutations may give the virus an advantage over other viruses that do not undergo this mutation. Highly contagious. It is these mutations that cause concern and should be monitored closely. Also, the greater the virus’s transmissibility and circulation, the more likely it is that new mutations will occur.

Sequence the genome It helps to understand the trajectory of a virus and its duration in a given region or country. Sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome – a task undertaken by a project in Portugal National Institutes of Health Dr. Ricardo JorgeWith cooperation Gulbenkian Institute of Science (IGC) – The only way is necessary to rapidly monitor circulating viruses, detect new variants, and adjust strategies to try to prevent the spread of the virus, containing chains of transmission of the largest strains of concern.

Covid-19: Which variant dominates in Portugal?

Since October of last year, Ómicron’s BA.2 lineage (and its descendants) has mainly dominated its JN.1 sub-lineage and progeny. Among the latter, a significant increase in the circulation of the KP.3 sublineage stands out, representing 80.7% of the sequences analyzed between July 8 and August 4 of this year. The KP.3 sublineage, as well as other circulating sublineages (eg KP.1 and KP.2), is included in the list of variants monitored by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The proliferation of new strains of SARS-CoV-2 around the world has raised doubts about whether these mutations are not only more infectious, but also cause severe disease and affect efficacy. Antibiotics.

How to prevent the spread of new species?

It is important to strengthen measures to prevent and control the spread of disease:

• Wear a mask if you are infected;
• to encourage Good hand hygiene (Wash frequently with soap and water or, failing that, Disinfection with hydroalcoholic solution) and Breathing etiquette (wearing a mask, coughing into your hand, etc.);
• keep Airy placesPreferably through natural ventilation, doors and/or windows.

And the A vaccine against Covid-19 It continues to be a key weapon in the fight against infectionIt has been shown to reduce the risk of transmission and serious disease against most variants in the circulation.