Manchester variant

[littlebillie]

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-areas-residents-workers-should-19796809

My understanding is that the UK is (genuinely) world beating at the sequencing that identifies these variations. There midgut be some lurking undiscovered in other countries.

It does, although I believe Denmark is almost as good. I don’t think that’s the only reason though as other European countries are identifying the known variants of concern in their sequencing.

It is a bit unnerving that it seems to be mutating in exactly the same way in different locations around the world, seemingly independently. I'm no epidemiologist though and am always interested to hear from those in the know.
I am not an epidemiologist, but it's not an epidemiologist that you want to answer here. Yes, some mutations are more "likely" than others in the sense that 1) there can be more error-prone areas in the genomic sequence 2) probably more important, that certain mutations make the virus more successful in a way, and therefore we are more likely to discover these mutations in many places ad they become more prevalent due to an observer / exposure bias. It is quite possible that there are many other mutations that had happened simultaneously in different places around the globe, but if they made their variant less competitive, they probably died off before they were discovered and we just don't know about them. In a sense, we are observing winners in an Olympic race, and there's nothing surprising that all of them have long legs, despite coming from different continents and backgrounds.

@Katie517

Stop scaremongering FFS! The virus has been mutating since this time last year but we just weren’t obsessed with looking for variants. This is the new thing for the next month or so until they move onto something else. It’s not bad news it’s just what viruses do. If we could not have a scaremongering thread everytime they happen to find one that would be great!

This is what I think too!

Its a bit of a bummer that this one has something that makes it more successful and is also vaccine resistant. It's unlikely that the mutation is more successful purely because it is vaccine resistant, because it showed up initially in South Africa and the vaccine hadn't been deployed there enough to make a difference. So the EEK (E484K) variant is already more successful and then the fact that it may also be vaccine resistant is a nice little bonus for it.

Yes, viruses mutate all the time. However, whilst the variants are always better for the virus, its pot luck whether the mutation makes them worse or better for us humans. The virus doesn't care how deadly or debilitating it is, it just "wants" to spread. These new variants are definitely worse for us, and yes, this is unfortunate.

@JS87 if you're an immunologist you'll know that your comment about the Moderna vaccine having a 6 fold reduction in neutralising activity is actually a tiny amount in terms of percentages (from the mid 90s to late 80s percentage wise). But saying 6 fold makes it sound enormous to a layman.

POSSIBLY vaccine resistant, sorry.

@Nellodee

Its a bit of a bummer that this one has something that makes it more successful and is also vaccine resistant. It's unlikely that the mutation is more successful purely because it is vaccine resistant, because it showed up initially in South Africa and the vaccine hadn't been deployed there enough to make a difference. So the EEK (E484K) variant is already more successful and then the fact that it may also be vaccine resistant is a nice little bonus for it.

Yes, viruses mutate all the time. However, whilst the variants are always better for the virus, its pot luck whether the mutation makes them worse or better for us humans. The virus doesn't care how deadly or debilitating it is, it just "wants" to spread. These new variants are definitely worse for us, and yes, this is unfortunate.

Good thing all the vaccines have been found to still work on it then. Slightly reduced effectiveness but they still will stop some of the transmission and serious illness.

Wonderful isn't it

@Nellodee

POSSIBLY vaccine resistant, sorry.

Not possibly because they have tested the vaccines against the new SA variant and they still work. Just a little less transmission reduction

Sorry, did I use the word resistant when I actually meant... um... resistant?

@Nellodee

Its a bit of a bummer that this one has something that makes it more successful and is also vaccine resistant. It's unlikely that the mutation is more successful purely because it is vaccine resistant, because it showed up initially in South Africa and the vaccine hadn't been deployed there enough to make a difference. So the EEK (E484K) variant is already more successful and then the fact that it may also be vaccine resistant is a nice little bonus for it.

Yes, viruses mutate all the time. However, whilst the variants are always better for the virus, its pot luck whether the mutation makes them worse or better for us humans. The virus doesn't care how deadly or debilitating it is, it just "wants" to spread. These new variants are definitely worse for us, and yes, this is unfortunate.

Not worse for us at all as we are just going to eventually learn how to live alongside the virus, new variant or not.

So, it's not the "Manchester variant", but the "Bristol variant" (aka Kent+E484K)

Nervtag have now confirmed what I first reported in @theipaper last Friday - “Bristol variant” (Kent+E484K) is a variant of concern and “Liverpool variant” (original Covid+E484K) as a less concerning variant under investigation.
mobile.twitter.com/janemerrick23/status/1359190656804151296

I get being positive, but some people are just putting blinkers over their eyes, fingers in their ears, and chanting "la, la, la." There is no way on earth that having a variant that is more difficult to deal with than the previous ones is not a bad thing and arguing that it makes no difference is, well... I don't think I can argue against that kind of logic.

@Nellodee

I get being positive, but some people are just putting blinkers over their eyes, fingers in their ears, and chanting "la, la, la." There is no way on earth that having a variant that is more difficult to deal with than the previous ones is not a bad thing and arguing that it makes no difference is, well... I don't think I can argue against that kind of logic.

Oh it is definitely more of a problem. Reckon everyone agrees with that. It just isn't surprising or a total end of the world. The scientists have been expecting and planning for this in case it happened.

@OrangeBananaFish

Ooo chips and gravy is very nice, but I'm not from Manchester. I'm from the better side of the Pennines

How do you feel about mushy peas ? That's the important question.

I don't get all the chips with gravy or mushy peas

Just a nice big bag of chips with lots of vinegar

“we are just going to eventually learn how to live alongside the virus, new variant or not”

It’s probably true, but I never really understand what this means....?

Does it mean carry on having Lockdown after lockdown, or regular vaccine boosters? Or continuing restrictions on socialising and travelling?

Or is there some other way of managing that we haven’t learnt yet?

Never mind the mushy peas I like gravy soaked into my battered fish or curry sauce depending what mood I'm in

@Nellodee

I get being positive, but some people are just putting blinkers over their eyes, fingers in their ears, and chanting "la, la, la." There is no way on earth that having a variant that is more difficult to deal with than the previous ones is not a bad thing and arguing that it makes no difference is, well... I don't think I can argue against that kind of logic.

I wonder whether it would help if we talked about these as variants of concern rather than just using variants. It probably won’t make much difference to people who know what is meant when we say variants, but it ought to decrease the number of ‘viruses mutate all the time posts’.

@titchy

I think it's because it makes you call everyone 'our kid' and put gravy on your chips.

Crying at this......

Plus they need to stop reporting on every fucking variant. All viruses migrate. It’s to be expected.

Mutate!

[quote userxx]@Devlesko I'm guessing Wigan :)[/quote]
Yes, but I'm not from this county, I'm originally from Cheshire, posh bird, me.
We get out of the shower to go to the loo there.
Loving Lancy cobbles though and t'flat caps.

After being on Mumsnet for this long, I don't think anyone changes their mind about anything ever.

No, you are probably right. And i’m not sure making it very clear you are only talking about a subset of mutations would stop people insisting that you are talking about every single mutation either tbh.

@Nellodee

I get being positive, but some people are just putting blinkers over their eyes, fingers in their ears, and chanting "la, la, la." There is no way on earth that having a variant that is more difficult to deal with than the previous ones is not a bad thing and arguing that it makes no difference is, well... I don't think I can argue against that kind of logic.

I do think social media, including these type of thread, since Dec 2019 will be a very interesting resource for researchers.

Been a lot of people say a lot of times there's nothing to worry about.