Category: South Africa
Circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.1.7, 501Y.V2, and P.1 have gained ability to utilize rat and mouse Ace2 and altered in vitro sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies and ACE2-Ig
Here, we first investigated cross-species receptor usage of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants that emerged during the pandemic. More...
Fauci: new coronavirus variant has caused reinfection in South Africa
Fauci: “When we were communicating with our many scientific and public health colleagues in South Africa, they were telling us over the phone ‘something strange is going on right now, we have people who were infected several months ago, who now with this new strain are getting reinfected, which is telling you that the immune response induced to the first infection wasn’t good enough to prevent the second infection”
https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-01-30-21/index.html More...
Novavax vaccine works well except on N501Y.V2 South Africa variant
An early analysis in Britain found that the Novavax vaccine had an efficacy rate of nearly 90 percent. More...
Major outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 South African Variant 501YV2 in Ostend, Belgium
Belgium has declared its first major outbreak of the South African variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 [501Y.V2], More...
Study of convalescent sera from 44 South Africans infected in first wave, >90% showed reduced immunity & 48% had complete immune escape to 501Y.V2
Study of convalescent sera from 44 South Africans infected in first wave >90% showed reduced immunity and 48% had complete immune esape to 501Y.V2 More...
Covid-19 leaves trail of devastation at South African TVET colleges
A total of 23 staff members from SA’s 50 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, and four from community education colleges, died of Covid-related complications between December 15 and January 11. More...
Scientists discuss the new South African SARS-CoV-2 variant 501Y.V2
Scientists have new biological evidence that a South African variant of Covid-19 binds more readily to human cells, making it more infectious, according to one of the world’s leading infectious disease experts. More...
Tracking the international spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineages B.1.1.7 and B.1.351/501Y-V2
“As of 7th Jan 2021, 45 countries had reported the presence of B.1.1.7 and 13 countries had reported B.1.351/501Y.V2. More...
Comprehensive mapping of mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain
Comprehensive mapping of mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-bindingdomain that affect recognition by polyclonal human serum antibodies. More...
Emergence and rapid spread of a new SARS-CoV-2 lineage with multiple spike mutations in South Africa
“Here, we describe a new SARS-CoV-2 lineage (501Y.V2) characterised by eight lineage-defining mutations in the spike protein, including three at important residues in the receptor-binding domain (K417N, E484K and N501Y) that may have functional significance. More...