Is COVID-19 vaccine effective against Ramda virus? What is vaccine escape or immune escape

With the increase of COVID-19 variants, we also need to prevent outbreaks caused by variant viruses. It is reported that in addition to the crazy spread of Delta virus, the COVID-19 Ramda mutant virus has also begun to spread in various countries. It is reported that COVID-19 Ramda mutant virus may escape neutralizing antibody, so will Ramda virus escape vaccine? Let's learn about it together.

Will Lambda virus evade vaccines?

Previous studies have suggested that Lambda carries some mutations that may enhance its transmission ability. Japanese researchers recently published an article on the BioRxiv platform of the United States Biology Open Access Preprint Platform, pointing out that the Ramda (λ) variant of COVID-19 is not only highly infectious, but also possible to escape neutralizing antibodies. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Tokyo and Osaka University in Japan stated that the spike protein of the Lambda variant is highly infectious, and the "culprit" behind this high infectivity is the T61 and L452Q mutations in the virus, which alter the nature of the variant's binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptor. The researchers stated that although this study has not yet undergone peer review, it can be determined that the activity level of cells infected by the Lambda variant virus is no less than that of the Delta variant.

What is immune escape or vaccine escape?

"Immune escape" can be understood as cunning pathogens trying to evade attacks from the human immune system. One is the "cross dressing" of viruses: frequent and sustained mutations that make the established anti infective immune antibodies in the human body "unrecognizable", thus avoiding their attacks This is the main reason for the weakened defense effect of existing vaccines. Another way is for pathogens to secretly hide in cells and "hibernate", thus avoiding attacks from cellular and humoral immune antibodies.