Near East University announced the results of the report in which it examined the SARS-CoV-2 variants seen in the last 1 year in the TRNC over 2,067 positive cases. As a result of the research, it was determined that the Delta variant, which was first detected at the end of June, spread rapidly and was the source of 90 percent of the cases detected in the August-October period.
Variants formed by mutations of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 and have been continuing to affect the whole world, continue to determine the course of the pandemic. Some variants, defined as variants of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organization (WHO), can change the character of the virus and cause it to spread more easily. On the other hand, it can cause a change in the severity of the symptoms of the disease and develop resistance to therapeutic drugs and vaccines, leading to incorrect results of the diagnostic methods used.
Near East University reached important results by analyzing the genetic mutations of the virus that caused 2,067 positive cases in the TRNC between November 2020 and October 2021, in the COVID-19 PCR Diagnostic Laboratory operating within the university. Accordingly, it was determined that at least ten different SARS-CoV-2 variants were diagnosed in the TRNC in the last year. It was determined that the Delta variant, which was first detected in the last days of June, spread rapidly and caused 90 percent of the cases detected in the August-October period.
Alpha variant replaced by Delta
Near East University researchers had previously announced that, in the results of the genome analysis study, the variants originating from the Netherlands, USA, Wales, Australia and Italy, which were detected in the TRNC between September and December 2020, did not cause local transmission in the country. As of mid-December 2020, it was found out that three different variants of UK origin, called Alpha, were active in local transmission. The Alpha variant, which was seen in 45 percent of the positive cases detected in January 2021, continued to be seen as the dominant variant for a long time in the TRNC due to the higher transmission rate than other variants, and the dominance rate in the positive cases detected in June reached up to 90 percent.
The Delta variant, which first appeared in India in April and became an effective variant in a very short time around the world with a higher transmission rate than the Alpha variant, was detected for the first time in the TRNC in the last days of June. Delta variant, with its high contagiousness, became dominant in a very short time and caused 90 percent of the cases seen in the August-October period.
Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ: “Unvaccinated people are at great risk because the delta variant has a higher transmission rate than other variants diagnosed so far.”
Near East University Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ said that when the worldwide distribution of SARS-CoV-2 variants is considered, there is a similar situation in the TRNC. Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ stated that the molecular genetic analysis report they have completed is a powerful source that will shed light on the interpretation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the TRNC, and an important contribution to the world literature, considering the number of samples.
Saying "Unvaccinated people are at great risk because the delta variant has a higher transmission rate than other viral strains detected to date," Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ drew attention to the importance of vaccination. Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ also congratulated the researchers of the Near East University COVID-19 PCR Diagnostic Laboratory for their academic, scientific and innovative studies.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören: “The results of the study we conducted with the Diagnosis and Variant Detection Kit we developed give us the chance to analyze the reasons for the increase in COVID-19 cases that have considerably increased in recent days.”
COVID-19 PCR Diagnostic Laboratory staff Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören, on the other hand, stated that they designed the kit that performs mutation detection specific to SARS-CoV-2 variants and that it was verified by sequence analysis method in previous studies.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören said, “The results of our study with the Quadruplex SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR Diagnosis and Variant Detection Kit, which was awarded the Honorable Mention by the European Biotechnology Association (EBTNA) last September, help us to analyze the reasons for the increase in COVID-19 cases that have increased in recent days.”
Last one-year distribution of SARS-CoV-2 variants in the TRNC
