It is really unknown at this stage - the UK variant has been studied more, and the consensus is that it is more contagious but without much insight as to why. There may be some clue to that in the Australian quarantine cases just revealed, that it may have migrated through the ventilation system - but a breakdown in protocol with the cleaner who was infected cannot yet be ruled out.
The Brazil one has 12 mutations, several of which are on the protein spike - similar to the UK and South Africa strains identified, sharing the altered shape with the South Africa one. So what it comes down to is that it appears to have the upgraded ability to infect that the UK one appears to have, with the risk that it also have an improved ability to resist antibodies.
In terms of the higher R, the 0.4 to 0.7 range is still an estimate, and for the numbers of the Brazilian one sequenced for, it would be meaningless to do comparable calculations. Part of the focus on the UK variant is simply because the UK has been a world leader in sequencing samples.
Note, there is now a Ohio mutation with similar properties, from a different genetic strain though.
Very scary, but thanks for this. I thought the UK mutation was a loss of an S protein, making it more easy to bind with human cellular tissue, but the cost of that, was it is less lethal?
You have more detail than I do about what the change in the spike was (zero background in biochemistry), but in terms of the binding effect, yes that sound about right.
It is scary. Our situation here is nowhere near as bad as the situation in the UK, particularly where I actually am. But our healthcare system is just hanging on, and the UK variant has not really been a factor yet. Even an increase in the lower range estimated would be a knockout blow.
The Indian Vaccine is a deactivated one too like Sinovac. Apparently, it’s been tested more rigorously and there’s more confidence about that. They are about to roll out the vaccine now. Let’s see how it goes.
What stands out to me and screams in daylight is the abominable white sandwich bread. Kids should never be given such bread for obvious reasons, it shouldn’t be part of anyone daily diet, it it is for weekend sandwitches or something like that if you heat them in an oven. That bread contains no nutrition for the body at all and even tastes disgusting when eaten cold.
And considering that the loaf of bread is approximately half the food, it doesn’t help that the rest is an indelicate box of canned beans and last years bananas. The apples are fine.
But what you see here, is one government that has sent this to a commission or something (in Finland’s case) or to their health directorate, had actual nutritionists take a look at the budget and then they have made a menu. The UK seems to have relegated this to a bureaucrat without any knowledge and he/she has got the cheapest offer available from some sort of shark venture, and then smilingly went with that with zero care at all for the actual children.
Surely more fresh food can be given. “Marketed Candies, Canned Beans & Other Packaged Food” ? Surely that money can be better spent giving more vegetables and even some meat if the need calls for it.
I agree with your point on the sandwich bread. But that’s not the worst part of it tbh.
Just putting forward an example of the food-kit given by one Indian state government. They’ve distributed 8.8 million of these till November , Don’t have the numbers now. Why can’t the other governments do the same. I’m pretty sure that most of the families can cook these at a pinch.
Different cultural food but the UK gov can get a decent enough price on more culturally appropriate vegtables I am sure.
Items such as real bread (and not that sandwich nonsense), eggs, milk maybe and actual vegtables, would to a long way. What matters is that you dont give them junk after all, and that UK asortment is basically junk food.
Yeah, I am . Unfortunately in my country, a pretty large segment of the population is. But I tell myself that for the greater good, you take what vaccine the goverment recommends you to take and your single self is of no grand importance to the wider scheme, but if many are too skeptical and refuse to take a vaccine, then the systemic effects from that will be disastrous and flock immunity will then not be reached for many years probably.
Then again, in my country, the vaccines we are getting are BionTech and Moderna, and they have at least transparent testing. But obviously, as individuals we can worry a bit about long term side effects. The Swine Flue vaccine ended up being a disaster after all, however, this virus is far more lethal and damaging so you got to just take the vaccine and spin the wheel a bit, because the alternative is far worse.
I ended up writing this far, then re-read your post, now finding that I completely misunderstood your point. I guess I can let my post stand anyway, as I guess the point I make about a single individuals responsibility to take a vaccine in the face of this epidemic is still a decent one.
Besides, the vaccines we get here in the West, while not tested to the standards we’d like (long term effects), is still more tested than the alternative vaccines. So if the government wants me to take one of the vaccines, I will, and I say of course I will, because it could help my country getting out of this restriction mess. Not that my government is likely to want me to take it anytime soon, as I am not prioritised.
Seriously though to me the difference shows the vast cultural differences in diet and many other parts of the world. The UK has an unhealthy relationship with bread IMO. We eat a lot of it and the bread we do eat is awful in many cases. Plus as a society the UK is going backwards, fast, at being able to cook meals from scratch.
Time for cooking and eating is becoming less prioritised for all sorts of the wrong reasons.
Personally I think its a ticking time bomb but not wholly relevant to the Covid discussion.
You do realise that if the flour (that is used to make bread) isn’t white it’s just white flour with color and if your lucky the stuff they took away to make it white stuffed back in.
Like milk, all is skimmed then they add the cream they took out to make semi-skimmed and whole milk … and btw never buy Lactel it is fermented and tastes horrible.
Which is strange, since the UK doesn’t have the cultural issues that Spain has in terms of difficulties combating the virus. Logically, a lot of the Latin-American infections, (I say this without research of course, some things be said without I think) transmits infection through kisses on the cheek and the hugging. My own Spanish friend can’t really stop hugging whenever I meet up with him and he is male and I am male; would be even more hugging had I been a female. It must be incredibly difficult for them to stop, it is so culturally ingrained in everything they are.
So UK having the same or even worse infection rate than Italy, Spain and Portugal probably has more systemic than cultural reasons I would assume.
So for those who use Spain as a counter weight to the UK, I really wouldn’t compare myself to a country where everyone goes around hugging and kissing each other; it is probably difficult for them to stop.
