— according to information from PAHO Advisor on Emerging Viral Diseases

THE P.1 variant of the novel coronavirus that originated in Brazil and has been devastating that country is present in Guyana, according to information provided by Advisor on emerging viral diseases at the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), Dr. Jairo Mendez-Rico.

While presenting at a PAHO webinar organised for variants, Dr. Mendez-Rico highlighted that 37 countries in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region have confirmed the presence of one or more variants of concern.

During that webinar, he provided a table which illustrated the distribution of the variants and on that table, it was noted that the P.1 variant has been present in Guyana. This is the only variant, however, found in Guyana.

That table also illustrated that the B.1.1.7 has been recorded in 34 countries in the LAC region, the B.1.351 in 17 countries, the P.1 variant in 21 countries and the B.1.617 in eight countries.

Dr. Mendez-Rico indicated that variants are created through mutations of viruses, and that the occurrence of these mutations is a natural and expected event within the evolutionary process of the virus. And, he noted that every single time a virus transmits from one person to another, it undergoes some molecular change.

Importantly, he explained that a majority of these mutations have a neutral effect while some may result in the virus harming itself. The PAHO Advisor, however, pointed out that sometimes, virus mutation causes that virus to gain an advantage that enables it to enter cells and replicate easier and escape the immune response produced naturally or through vaccination.

Specifically on variants of the SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that causes the disease, COVID-19), he noted that since the spread of the novel coronavirus became a pandemic in March 2020, the variants of concern include those that originated in the United Kingdom (B 1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351), Brazil (P.1), and India (B.1.617).

The variant that originated in the UK was the first variant of concern discovered; it was discovered at the end of 2020, due to genomic sequencing (a type of genetic analysis) conducted in that country.

Ever since this UK variant was discovered, the importation and emergence of variants in Guyana have been a concern but the local authorities have been unable to ascertain whether these variants are present, since Guyana does not have the capacity to conduct the genomic sequencing required to identify the variants.

In fact, the only reported sequencing done by Guyana has been the 10 COVID-positive samples the country sent to Trinidad and Tobago for testing by Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine campus. Those 10 samples, out of the more than 15,000 cases Guyana has had, returned with a negative result.

CONCERNS OF ILLEGAL CROSSINGS

Recently, due to concerns of illegal crossings at the Guyana/Brazil border in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), the local health authorities have signalled an interest in testing positive cases in that region for the presence of variants. It is unclear whether those tests have been completed.

Adviser to the Ministry of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, in a recent interview with this newspaper, said that the number of positive cases documented illustrates the minimum number of times the virus has been transmitted from one person to the other, since the virus was first imported in March, 2020.

“Any virus transmitted so many times will have changes and so we don’t have to determine right now that we got this variant and that variant. We should know that; virology tells us that, because it is a virus and it is transmitted, it will change,” Dr. Ramsammy underscored, adding: “I don’t think people need to get hung up on whether it is a Brazilian variant, an American variant or what.”

Cognisant of the expected changes to the virus, Dr. Ramsammy cautioned that a mutated form of the virus has been adversely affecting younger people in Guyana over the past few weeks.

“Initially, the elder people that died were all people with comorbidities – they were diabetic, they had heart diseases, hypertension. Now you’re getting deaths among people with no previous history of comorbidities,” the Adviser said worriedly.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, has also highlighted that, based on the surveillance conducted by the local health authorities, it has been found that younger people are becoming impacted by the more severe and life-threatening form of COVID-19.

Both the Health Minister and the Adviser have said that taking the COVID-19 vaccines will prevent people from becoming severely impacted by COVID-19. Importantly, at the webinar, Dr. Mendez-Rico highlighted that there is no evidence stating that the COVID-19 vaccines are not effective against the variants as well.