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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 35
| Issue : 1 | Page : 45 |
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New COVID-19 vaccines and new COVID-19 variants: A long way for COVID-19 containment?
Rujittika Mungmungpuntipantip1, Viroj Wiwanitkit2
1 Private Academic Practice, Bangkok, Thailand
2 Department of Community Medicine, Dr DY Patil University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| Date of Submission | 11-Feb-2021 |
| Date of Acceptance | 17-Apr-2021 |
| Date of Web Publication | 04-Aug-2021 |
Correspondence Address:
Rujittika Mungmungpuntipantip
Private Academic Consultant, Bangkok
Thailand
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jms.jms_31_21
How to cite this article:
Mungmungpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. New COVID-19 vaccines and new COVID-19 variants: A long way for COVID-19 containment?. J Med Soc 2021;35:45 |
How to cite this URL:
Mungmungpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. New COVID-19 vaccines and new COVID-19 variants: A long way for COVID-19 containment?. J Med Soc [serial online] 2021 [cited 2021 Oct 26];35:45. Available from: https://www.jmedsoc.org/text.asp?2021/35/1/45/323160 |
Sir,
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused major public health issues worldwide for more than a year. The World Health Organization already declared and upgraded the COVID-19 epidemic to a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” At present, COVID-19 pandemic is the global problem that is not successfully contained. The newly available COVID-19 vaccines become the new hope for successful COVID-19 containment.[1] Nevertheless, the efficacy and safety of the new vaccines become important issues in global public health. In addition, different new COVID-19 vaccines also express different cost-effectiveness.[2] A more important consideration is the continuous report on the new COVID-19 variants. It is a new issue for discussion regarding the possible vaccine escape due to the new COVID-19 variants.[3]
Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, the necessary conditions for a suitable antigen include large enough molecular weight, complex structure, stable shape, and metabolic breakdown. Moreover, the antigenic determinant site (epitope) and the binding force between antigen and receptor are also determinants of antigen specificity. Various studies seek to understand the characteristics and variability of the virus as early as possible, hoping to find effective vaccines and medicine. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand the mutant coronavirus strain. Current evidence shows that this mutant virus contains several genetic mutations, which make the virus spread more easily from person to person and increase the infection rate. For example, the mutant coronavirus strain VUI-202012/01 occurred in the UK.[4] The VUI-202012/01 was first observed in the UK and the association with high transmissibility is reported.[4] The important genetic change is mutation N501Y inside the spike glycoprotein's receptor-binding domain, which is an important molecular part binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor in humans and further causes disease, and can confirm the nature of higher transmissibility of VUI-202012/01. Regarding pathophysiology, the molecular structural change of the antigen might be related to the transmissibility.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Shariare MH, Parvez MA, Karikas GA, Kazi M. The growing complexity of COVID-19 drug and vaccine candidates: Challenges and critical transitions. J Infect Public Health 2021;14:214-20.  |
| 2. | Sookaromdee P, Wiwanitkit V. New COVID-19 vaccines, its cost and shelf life: A cost effectiveness analysis. Reply: Arch Med Res 2021;52:453. |
| 3. | |
| 4. | Elfiky AA, Ibrahim IM. Host-cell recognition through GRP78 is enhanced in the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2, in silico. Reply: J Infect 2021;82:186-230. |
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