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Three mild controlled cases of the South African strain of COVID-19 detected at Ibiza

These three cases are related to residents visiting Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates

Son Espases Hospital’s microbiology laboratory in Mallorca detected three cases of the South African variant of COVID. It is the first time that the variant appears in the Balearic Islands, especially in Ibiza. The importance of this variant of the coronavirus is that it causes “some decrease” in the effectiveness of vaccines. This is what Antonio Oliver, head of the microbiology department at the Mallorca hospital, explained yesterday. 

In this sense, the British strain (dominant over the Balearics) is of greater concern because it has a greater ability to transmit infection and severity of cases. According to the spokesman of the regional infectious disease management committee of the Balearic Islands, Javier Arranz, the South African variant does not respond to these characteristics. 

A Brazilian variant was also found in Mallorca. It was related to a social and sports related outbreak with nine people infected and 40 contacts who are isolated despite having tested negative in the PCR test, as established by the health protocol. 

Like the South African variant, the Brazilian variant also has mechanisms to evade the immunisation effect of the vaccines currently on the market.

Dr. Arranz stressed that those affected by the South African and Brazilian strains (in this case only in Mallorca) are “mild or asymptomatic cases” that did not require hospitalisation. Perhaps almost everyone will be released without a problem. That’s the important part,” said the infectious disease expert from the Balearic Islands. 

The three cases of the South African strain detected in Eivissa are related to two work trips to Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates by residents of the island. Two of the affected people are cohabitants, according to Arranz, who pointed out that these three infections “have not generated any outbreak or associated cases”. 

For this reason, Dr. Arranz stressed that the discovery of the South African variant in Ibiza “has no special effect” on the island, as these are three “imported” cases whose transmission has already been interrupted. “It is not a health concern. We explain it in order to be as transparent as possible,” Arranz stressed, who pointed out that in all the cases, those affected arrived on the islands with a negative PCR. “It was later because they were informed that they had been in close contact with someone positive in another country or other area of Spain, or they began to have symptoms and were tested,” he explained.

The strains of South Africa and Brazil were discovered for the first time in the Balearic Islands. It was found in a batch of genomic sequencing of 80 randomly selected positive cases from the last two weeks of March to the first week of April. As predicted, in 59 of the 80 cases analysed (75%) the British strain was found, which was the dominant strain in the islands for months. 

Other minor variants

In addition to the four cases of the South African and Brazilian strain, 14 other strains of virus mutations associated with reduced vaccine efficacy have been detected. More precisely, there are eight cases of the so-called B1.525 in Mallorca and one B1.526,  in Menorca. Also, there is a variant of the same British strain that also reduces the effectiveness of immunisation of vaccines and other minority strains that for the moment “are not relevant”, according to Oliver.

The head of Microbiology at Son Espases said that the detection of these vaccine-resistant strains was “something to be expected”. He also pointed out that it is taken “with some concern”, although it is “the same thing that happens in the rest of Spain and Europe due to the use of vaccines”. He also indicated that once the population is vaccinated, these variables will find their place, but “without being more contagious or fatal, they will likely disappear”.

“These variants will not destroy the British variant”

The head of the microbiology laboratory, Antonio Oliver, excluded that the South African or Brazilian variants of the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus could replace the British strain. Precisely, because “they are not more transmissible”. We cannot expect these variations to rule out others. In the case of the South African and Brazilian strains, as they are imported cases, there may or may not be any more. As long as they are incapable of transmitting effectively, there will be no problem. The UK variant [which would be dominant] was a foregone conclusion,” Oliver said.

He also stated that 35 cases of the Brazilian strain have been detected across Spain, so the discovery of the eight cases in Mallorca “is not exceptional”.

In addition, the head of the microbiology laboratory at Son Espases pointed out that, in the Balearic Islands, more genome sequencing tests are carried out than in the rest of the Autonomous Communities. This helps detect a greater number of cases of COVID-19 in the islands. 

So far, over 1000 cases have been sequenced in the Balearics. ‘Far greater than what is recommended by the Ministry of Health and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control,’ according to a health note.

The spokesman for the Balearic Islands regional infectious diseases management committee, Javier Arranz, explained that a clinical trial of AstraZeneca’s vaccine was stopped in South Africa when it was found to have no effect on the strain that emerged in this country. However, Arranz added that, in contrast, this variant has not increased in the UK or Scotland despite the fact that “a large percentage” of the population has been immunised with this vaccine.

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