Cuba detects first case of the South African SARS-CoV-2 strain

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 22 (ACN) Cuba reported the presence of a new genetic variant of SARS-CoV-2 , previously detected in South Africa and which so far has spread to 20 countries, stated today Dr. Maria Guadalupe Guzman Tirado, head of the Research, Diagnosis and Reference Unit of the Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK).

Guzman Tirado, who is also president of the Cuban Society of Microbiology and Parasitology, explained to the Cuban News Agency that the mutation was detected in an asymptomatic traveler from South Africa, as a result of studies carried out since December 15 on all persons arriving in the country, whether symptomatic or not.

She detailed that the patient's contacts were negative, although she insisted that there is a possibility that the variant is in Cuba and could become established as a circulating strain.

Among the characteristics that distinguish this mutation and for which it has been identified in the world is that it is more transmissible, so it affects a greater number of people and spreads rapidly, the specialist added.
The expert pointed out that it is not recognized to have a direct effect on lethality, nor that does it cause more severe cases of the disease, although as it is transmitted more frequently it reaches vulnerable groups, which could increase the number of deaths.

This new genetic variant originates from mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, the most important of which is in the spicule, the virus protein through which it penetrates the cell and reproduces, and in this case it is much more compatible than in previous variants, which is why it moves into the cell more easily, she continued.

Referring to the Cuban vaccine candidates, Guzman Tirado explained that they are studying how the antibodies generated behave in the face of these new viruses and stressed that at world level it is not recognized that it has a negative implication.

The doctor mentioned that another variant was detected in September in the United Kingdom and up to January 11 it was found in some countries of the region, such as Brazil, Canada, United States, Chile, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico and Peru, while in Brazil, Canada and Cuba was identified the South African one.