What is C.1.2 variant of COVID-19?

Of late, South African scientists have found a new variant of COVID-19 that is mutating at a rapid rate and has the potential to evade the protection offered by the antibodies.

The variant that was first detected in May 2021, now has scientists' attention as the mutations within its genome are similar to those seen in other variants of COVID-19 such as Delta. 

C.1.2 has spread to the majority of the provinces in South Africa and in seven other countries spanning Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, as per the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa.

First detected in South Africa

According to a study that is yet to be peer-reviewed, the C.1.2 variant of COVID-19 was first detected in the Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces of South Africa in May 2021. It was later detected in the KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo provinces of South Africa. 

The new variant has since been found in China Mauritius, the Democratic Republic of Congo, New Zealand, England, Switzerland, and Portugal.

C.1.2 variant of COVID-19: What do we know so far?

The variant which has not been categorized by the WHO has mutated substantially as compared to C.1 variant. The C.1 variant was one of the dominant lineages amid the spike in cases during the first wave of COVID-19 in South Africa. 

The C.1.2 variant is undergoing 41.8 mutations per year, 1.7 times faster than the current global rate and 1.8 times faster than the initial estimate of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, the study revealed. 

The study further highlighted that there were consistent increases in the number of C.1.2 genomes in South Africa each month, rising from 0.2% of the genomes sequenced in May to 1.6% in June and then to 2% in July.

"C.1.2 has accumulated a number of substitutions beyond what would be expected from the background SARS-CoV-2 evolutionary rate. This suggests the likelihood that these mutations arose during a period of accelerated evolution in a single individual with prolonged viral infection through virus-host co-evolution,” the study quoted. 

Key Mutations of C.1.2

While C.1.2 carries some of the mutations previously seen in C.1, the additional mutations are within the ORF1ab, spike, ORF3a, ORF9b, E, M, and N proteins. 

For instance, D614G mutation is common in all the variants, E484K and N501Y mutations are present in Beta and Gamma, E484K was also seen in Eta, and N501Y in Alpha. Moreover, the T478K mutation seen in some of the C.1.2 variants is also seen in Delta.

Thus, it can be said that C.1.2 contains many mutations that have been previously identified in all four Variants Of Concern (VOCs), Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma, and three Variants of Interest (VOIs)-- Kappa, Eta, and Lambda. Additional mutations such as Y449H present at its receptor-binding domain and N679K adjacent to its furin cleavage site.

Should we be worried?

The study has underscored that the mutations present in C.1.2 variant have the potential to evade the immune response. However, the exact impact of this variant on the neutralization of antibodies or vaccination is under assessment. 

"It does not appear to be increasing in circulation," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told a U.N. briefing, adding the variant labeled C.1.2. was not currently classified as a "variant of concern" by the U.N. health agency.

In a thread on Twitter, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical lead of WHO, stated that 100 sequences of C.1.2 have been reported globally till now and currently it does not appear to be increasing in circulation.

Quick thread on the C.1.2 variant that has been in the news and on twitter today…

First remember that the more the virus spreads the more opportunity it has to change. We have the tools to prevent infections, reduce the spread & save lives - lets use them.

Keep reading…

— Maria Van Kerkhove (@mvankerkhove) August 30, 2021

Dr. Megan Steain was quoted by The Guardian as saying, "It contains quite a few key mutations that we see in other variants that have gone on to become variants of interest or concern. Any time we see those particular mutations come up, we’d like to keep an eye on the variant to see what it’s going to do…C.1.2 would have to be pretty good, pretty fit, and pretty fast to outcompete Delta at this stage. I think we’re still very much at a point where this could die out, the prevalence is really low."

Also Read: COVID-19 variants list: How many variants of SARS-CoV-2 are there in the world?

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