Percentage of Mutations Reported - Credit FIOCRUZ
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A new report from FIOCRUZ (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz) - which has developed a new RT-PCR protocol designed to identify specific mutations found in variants of concern (P1, initially identified in Amazonas, B.1.1.7, in the United Kingdom and B.1.351, in South Africa) - provides new insights into just how prevalent these variants are in 3 specific regions of Brazil.In 6 of 8 states where this RT-PCR test has been used, the incidence (among those tested) involving one of these emerging variants was over 50% (see map above).
This report comes one day after FIOCRUZ released a Special Bulletin: Brazil's Worsening Pandemic Situation, which describes the heavy, and growing, impact of Brazil's second wave of COVID on both the population and the healthcare delivery system, writing:
At the moment, 19 Federation Units have occupancy rates for ICU beds above 80% - in the previous Bulletin they were 12. The alarming scenario, according to the analysis, represents only the tip of the iceberg of a level of intense transmission in the country. In view of this, the researchers believe it is necessary to adopt more rigorous non-pharmacological measures.
Fatality Epi Curve
While the current COVID crisis in Brazil isn't necessarily a blueprint of what is to come in the rest of the world, it does illustrate how quickly COVID variants can take control of a region, and reminds us of the importance of continued vigilance.
(translated)
Fiocruz detects mutation associated with variants of concern in the country
03/04/2021
Pamela Lang (Fiocruz News Agency)
In a technical statement published on Thursday (3/3) by the Covid-19 Fiocruz Observatory, researchers warn of the geographic dispersion in the territory of 'variants of concern', as well as its high prevalence in the three regions of Brazil evaluated (South, Southeast and Northeast).
The new RT-PCR protocol, developed by Fiocruz Amazônia, was used in Fiocruz's diagnostic support units and analytical centers to evaluate about 1,000 samples from the states of Alagoas, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. The protocol detects the common mutation in three of the 'variants of concern' (P1, initially identified in Amazonas, B.1.1.7, in the United Kingdom and B.1.351, in South Africa), which are potentially more transmissible. The evaluation was supported by the Ministry of Health, through the Health Surveillance Secretariat and the General Coordination of Public Health laboratories.
According to the Observatory, the high circulation of people and the increased spread of the Sars-CoV-2 virus has favored the emergence of 'variants of concern' in Brazil, as is the case of the P1 variant, identified in Amazonas. The statement warns of a worrying scenario that combines the potentially more transmissible profile of these variants with the absence of measures that can help contain the spread and circulation of the virus.
Of the eight states evaluated in this study, only two did not have a prevalence of the mutation associated with variants of concern greater than 50%: case of Minas Gerais, with 30.3% of the samples tested as positive for the mutation, and Alagoas, with 42.6% . In the other states, more than 50% of the samples were identified with the mutation associated with 'variants of concern', as shown in the map below.
Facing the challenges imposed by the high dispersion and prevalence of 'variants of concern', the Observatory reinforces the guidelines pointed out by the National Council of State Health Secretaries (Conass), as well as the need to accelerate the availability of vaccines for the National Immunization Program (PNI), aiming to contribute to the reduction of cases and the probability of the appearance of new variants.
The Communiqué also highlights as fundamental the adoption of the measures already mentioned in an extraordinary Bulletin published, this Wednesday (3/3), focusing on non-pharmacological measures that can reduce the speed of propagation and the growth in the number of cases, the example of stricter measures to restrict circulation and non-essential activities and the immediate implementation of communication plans and campaigns, the strengthening of the health system, and the need to establish a national pact to face the pandemic in the country.
New protocol offers massive monitoring of 'variants of concern'
For the vice president of Production and Innovation in Health at Fiocruz, Marco Krieger, genomic surveillance and the monitoring of these variants will be essential to face the pandemic. “The new RT-PCR protocol offers a quick picture of the circulation of variants for decision-making in dealing with the pandemic”, highlights Krieger.
The evaluation with this protocol will be expanded and repeated in a systematic way for a massive monitoring of the variants and the genomic surveillance will be complemented with the sequencing of samples in the Fiocruz Genomic Network.
So far, there has been no clear association of these variants with a more serious clinical evolution, but additional studies are underway to clarify aspects related to the genetic sequencing of these variants, as well as their transmissibility and the real impact of these variants on the dynamics of occurrence of Covid-19.
On the Fiocruz Portal
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