The key facts
- The PJ.2.1 variant has been detected in North America and Spain and may reach Russia in the near future
- In laboratory conditions the variant binds more strongly to the ACE2 receptor, but there is no evidence of greater disease severity
- Scientists do not expect a new dangerous wave but consider epidemiological surveillance and testing vaccine effectiveness necessary
The new variant may reach Russia
The new coronavirus variant PJ.2.1, which is spreading in the United States, Canada and Spain, may reach Russia in the near future. It cannot be ruled out that individual cases are already present in the country but have not yet been detected. This was reported to Izvestia by the head of the Personalized Medicine Center of Excellence at Kazan Federal University, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan Albert Rizvanov. According to him, international travel allows new variants to move quickly between countries, but the appearance of a variant in Russia does not yet mean it will become dominant: 'We have seen many variants that initially caused concern among scientists but never became widespread.'
What is known about the variant's properties
Researchers point to the large number of mutations in the spike protein of PJ.2.1 — the structure the virus uses to enter human cells. According to a study by German scientists published in October, the variant was first detected in North America and later in Spain. In laboratory experiments it demonstrated an increased ability to bind to the ACE2 receptor, but there is still no convincing evidence of a more severe course of the disease. At the same time, Rizvanov does not consider the emergence of the variant a reason to expect a new dangerous wave: a large number of mutations by itself does not prove that the virus has become more dangerous to humans.
The Gamaleya center's position and parallel reports
Alexander Gintsburg, scientific director of the N. F. Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, believes that the spread of the new variant requires epidemiological surveillance. In his view, additional studies with antibodies, including those produced after vaccination with the Sputnik V vaccine, are needed to assess the effectiveness of vaccines against PJ.2.1. Separately, Life.ru reports that Russian tourists in Kazakhstan are complaining about an illness that lingers for three to four weeks and affects entire families: those who fell ill suggest that the cause was the XFG variant, known as 'Stratus'; among the complaints are chills, body aches, fever up to 38 degrees, vomiting and diarrhea. The publications do not claim any connection between these complaints and PJ.2.1 — they concern a different variant, and the assumption about the cause of the illness comes from the tourists themselves, not from confirmed data.
