Скачать или смотреть Virologist discusses features of virus behind Taiwan’s COVID outbreak

Taiwan’s COVID outbreak has grown at an alarmingly fast pace. That’s because the coronavirus variant circulating is the U.K. strain, which carries mutations that allow it to transmit quickly from person to person. The mutations have also made it more powerful against younger patients. Formosa News reporter Stephany Yang speaks to a virologist to understand how this strain differs from the original coronavirus and what can be done to stop its spread.

In 2020, Taiwan had one of the most successful COVID responses in the world, even reporting more than 250 days with zero local infections. The days of ease came to an abrupt end in May 2021, when Taiwan started reporting hundreds of new local infections every day. The fast-spreading outbreak was caused by the highly contagious U.K. variant of the coronavirus.

Shih Shin-ru
Chang Gung University emerging viral infections director
The outbreak in Taiwan is the U.K. strain. The transmissibility is quite high. Because the U.K. strain got the mutation at a certain position, then it caused the binding affinity become higher to human receptor. This is why it''s more contagious because more virus can enter our body and get more chance to replicate in our body. This is why we recently got many patients. In the beginning, the virus is kind of low, but after two or three days, it become very high. Some of them developed very severe diseases.
Virologist Shih Shin-ru says the U.K. coronavirus strain has mutations that make it more easily transmissible. It''s also hardier than other strains, surviving at extremely low temperatures for over a month. The mutations also lend it a higher capacity to bind with human receptors, making younger people more vulnerable to severe infections.

Shih Shin-ru
Chang Gung University emerging viral infections director
Especially for the mutant virus because when the virus originated from Wuhan in the beginning of last year, the virus is not that stable. But after April last year, the virus got one mutation, the position is at 614, from D to G. Such kind of mutation, the virus become more stable. Such kind of mutant we put into the -20 or -40, until one month we can still detect sufficient amount of virus. So I think the virus become more stable after mutation.This variant, the U.K. strain is quite different from those we met before. It''s quite contagious, the spreading rate is quite high. Also, young people can be infected by such variant. I think it''s more dangerous than those strain we met before.

Shih says the U.K. strain can be fended off with vaccines including AstraZeneca and Moderna.

Shih Shin-ru
Chang Gung University emerging viral infections director
Actually good news for us is that we got AZ vaccines and Moderna vaccines. Both vaccines can fight against the U.K. strain quite well. The U.K, strain does not change in genicity so the current vaccine can work for this variant.

The virologist says widespread vaccination can bring Taiwan’s outbreak to a swift end. Until that is achieved, she says it’s best to keep masks on and hands washed, while maintaining social distance.