沒完沒了的變種病毒令人咀喪？(有中/英文版) @ Lawpakgo

在全球都嚷著疫苗是唯一出路，各國政府大力推動疫苗施打，製造疫苗的國家大量生產，但仍供不應求，缺疫苗的國家四出張羅，希望加購有效的疫苗，但還未及進行全民施打，病毒不斷變種，而且也說最新發現的變種MU，傳播力更強，抗疫苗力更高。真是疫苗追不上變化。

讓我們來看看這個最新變種，世衛組織(WHO)在2021年9月2日才向傳媒正式報告有關這一個變種，這才讓民眾關注它，其實遠在本年初(2021年1月)在哥倫比亞首次取得樣本作研究，而2021年8月30日正式命名，以Pango Lineage*命名法被稱為B.1.621，世衛組織標籤它爲「MU」。

在眾多變種中，美國疾控中心和世衛組織會依據疾病表現和防治措施的影響，而分為需留意變異株(Variants of Interest, VOI) 或高關注變異株(Variants of Concern, VOC)。

本年8月30日，世衛組織(WHO)將變異株MU列入需留意變異株(VOI) 的變異株名單中，進行密切監察，世衛組織稱MU可能會侵害受感染者自然產生的免疫力或現行疫苗所引起的免疫力，即是這變異株會減低疫苗的效用(有抗藥性)，而且自它在哥倫比亞被發現後，已在39個國家有確診個案，共錄得有2065例*，其中以美國的案例最多，但9月1日，日本厚生部公布，有兩例外來確診病例是感染Mu變異株的，分別是6月26日從阿拉伯聯合大公國(UAE)抵達日本機場的一位女性和7月5日從英國抵達日本機場的一位女士，兩人均無症狀。在9月3日，香港的港大感染及傳染病中心總監說香港有兩例Mu變種株病毒，相信是由哥倫比亞入境香港個案。

由此可知在各國正設法將前門緊閉抵擋病毒，冷不防喬裝的變種病毒已靜悄悄由後門走到身旁，世衛組織(WHO)說將必須深入研究此變種株，主要是要證實它是否更容易傳染、更致命或更具抗藥性。

其實這種沒完沒了的狀態，實在討厭，實在令人氣餒。

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Seeing no ends, feeling despair!

Many countries said vaccine is the emergency exit for rescuing from the pandemic. The governments encouraged vaccination. Upon mass production of vaccine, there is still supply shortage worldwide. Some nations put great effort to obtain more vaccine from other countries or repeat orders to manufacturers. However, not one country has completed vaccination (2 doses per person), except Israel. Not everything is going on as expected, the virus is evolving. The latest SARS-CoV-2 variant that raised scientists interest are Mu. WHO said the Mu has the potential to evade immunity provided by a previous Covid-19 infection or vaccination.

Let see more in depth about this variant Mu. WHO told the media that MU was listed as a VOI. It was first found in Jan 2021 in Columbia. Since then, thousands of confirmed cases were found in 39 countries. The scientists then raised their concern and named it B.1.621 under Pango Lineage and WHO, using the the letters of Greek alphabets, labelled it as Mu on 30 August 2021.

Among numerous variants, the CDC OF USA AND WHO will labelled the variants as VOIs (Variants of Interest) /VOCs (Variants of Concern) based on their understanding of the their impacts and their relative influence or risks to the population and to the public health and social measures.

On 30 August 2021, the scientists listed Mu into VOI for further research on its transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape. WHO said the Mu was identified to cause significant community transmission or other apparent epidemiological impacts. That means the existing vaccines may not provide the same protection as before. Since its first sample taken in January 2021, there were 2065 related cases confirmed in 39 countries, mostly in USA. On 1 Sep, Japan’s Ministry of Health proclaimed that 2 asymptomatic cases were confirmed due to Mu infection. Both infected persons were women and they were boarding Japan airport from UAE and Britain on 26 June and 5 July respectively. On September 3, the HKU microbiologist Ho Pak-leung said HK had two cases of Mu infection. It’s believed those cases are imported from Columbia.

As we can see, various governments are taking social measures and vaccination schemes as a shield against the Covid-19 virus. However, the virus evolution are far more quicker than what they can do. WHO said further research has to be done on those variants to prove if they are more contagious and resistance to current vaccine.

It seems the whole world is sliding on a spiral path with no end, at least we do not see the end at this point. It is disappointing and despairing.

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