Coronavirus: India, Brazil, South Africa and UK Covid-19 variants - Wetin dem be?

Health authorities dey worry about one new coronavirus variant wey first show face for India, and don begin spread small for UK.

Dia concern be say new variants of di virus, like dis one, fit spread more easily, make pipo sick well-well, and even overpower di vaccines.

For Nigeria, di goment recently announce phase four of restriction of movement to reduce coronavirus spread.

Nigerian Presidential Steering Committee for Covid-19, say di rising trend of coronavirus cases for several kontris and di high risk of surge for Africa na im make dem announce di new restrictions..

Wetin we know about di different variants?

Thousands of different variants of Covid dey circulate across di world.

Virus dey change all di time and most changes no really mean anything. Some sef dey even harm di virus. But others fit make di disease dey more infectious or dangerous - and na these type dey dominate.

Those wey dia changes fit cause serious palava na im dem dey call "variants of concern" and health officials dey watch dem closely, some of dem include:

India variant (B.1.617.2) of which dem don see more dan 1,000 for UK

UK or Kent variant (also known as B.1.1.7) e dey strong for Britain - dem don identify more dan 200,000 cases - and e don spread to more dan 50 kontries and e be like say e dey change again

South Africa variant (B.1.351), dem don identify am for at least 20 oda kontries, including di UK

Brazil variant (P.1) don spread to more dan 10 oda kontries, including di UK

Di new variant dey dangerous?

Evidence no dey to show say any of dem fit cause serious illness for majority of pipo.

Just like di original version, di risk high for elderly pipo or pipo wey get underlying health conditions.

But virus wey dey more infectious and dangerous go lead to more deaths for di unvaccinated population.

Di South Africa and Brazil variants also get key mutation, wey dem call E484K, wey fit help di virus to dodge antibodies, key parts of di immune system wey dey help di body to fight off infection.

Experts recently find out say small number of cases of di UK variant get dis change too.

Vaccines dey work against variants?

Di current vaccines wey dem make na for di earlier versions of coronavirus, but scientists believe say dem go still work, even though not too well.

One recent study suggests say Brazilian variant fit resist antibodies for pipo wey don already get Covid and suppose get immunity.

However, early lab results and real life data suggest say di Pfizer vaccine fit protect against di new variants, although e dey slightly less effective.

Data from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine team suggests say e dey protect just as well against di Kent/UK variant. But e dey offer less protection against di South Africa variant - but e suppose still fit protect against severe illness.

Some early results suggest say di Moderna vaccine dey effective against di South Africa variant, although di immune response wey e dey trigger fit dey weaker and shorter-lived.

Experts dey confident say di vaccines wey dey now dem fit redesign am so dat e fit tackle di new mutations.