Coronavirus mutant strain is six times more deadly and infectious than previously found in Wuhan.
A comprehensive research conducted by scientists reveal that the current strain of Coronavirus would be six times more infectious than the first strain identified in Wuhan.
With the pandemic picking its pace against a struggling world, scientists in a new study revealed an evolutionary change being identified in the proteins that protrude from the surface of the Novel Coronavirus over the past six months.
These changes have evolved during the past six months, developed more abilities to mutate between humans – but remains intact in its spread.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said the findings ”could be significant.”
Dr Fauci thinks the data in the findings show a single mutation that actually makes the virus to replicate better, may as well be having high viral loads. However Fauci said it is unclear whether the new strain of the virus could be ”more harmful” to patients.
The study was a joint venture conducted by the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, the Duke University in North Carolina and the University of Sheffield’s Covid-19 Genomics UK research group. The researchers who studied 999 British patients with severe infections, also conducted laboratory experiments on the effectiveness of the virus at breaching the defenses of human cells.
The initial study of the researchers was challenged by scientific peer-review process of their initial work of the findings. After revisiting their study in June, the new results suggests that the current strain – D614G – is between three and six times more infectious than the original strain detected in Wuhan.
However, how the current mutated protein affects the transmission of the disease outside a laboratory environment is yet to be established and is currently believed to replicates better and might be more transmissible
The Acquiring of Herd Immunity Is Uncertain
The chances of populations acquiring ”herd immunity” to sustain through a mass outbreak seems quite low, while the hopes for a successful vaccination remain high.
New studies reveal that our immune system don’t produce enough antibodies and are quite strained fighting the virus to resist reinfection longer than a few weeks or months.
When a Novel Coronavirus breaks into a cell, it targets a specific protein receptor which cover cells which in turn receive chemical “keys” from the body to regulate specific functions. One such “lock” – ACE2 – is found on many different kinds of human cells across the body. As the virus makes a copy of the ACE2 protein “key” and manages to break into a cell, it’s dead.
Cells with ACE2 receptors can be found in the nasal passage in an area associated with smell. However also exists in some lung, heart, kidney, liver, gastrointestinal and blood vessel cells.
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The researchers opines that they are not certain how the virus gets to these vital organs in quite a few people but not in every infected person.
While studies suggest the immune systems to be less helpful, which could cause intense inflammation as it tends to fight so hard and overreact to the virus attack resulting in damaging of vital organs such as lungs, kidneys, heart and sometimes small blood vessels in the toes.
The new study published in the Science Journal Cell cites of small changes showing the evolution of the virus in their laboratory experiment which could increase the viral load in patients.
Virologists observe this not to be unusual as other viruses could also trigger overreactions. However the unusual mystery remains in the Coronavirus itself which they say is nasty and not yet certain of how it works.
