A recent study indicates that the latest coronavirus mutation might be more infectious and stronger

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• New research discovered that a mutated strain of coronavirus was stronger and more contagious as compared to the first one that plagued Wuhan.
• The new strain was primarily traced in Europe early in February, and the same has spread to the U.S and other countries.
• The researchers explained that while the strain is infectious, the effects on the patients are not necessarily more severe.

A recent study suggests that the coronavirus strain has mutated into a stronger one as compared to its initial stages in China, and it might continue to develop.

According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory said the new strain was first seen in Europe around February. Thereon, it rapidly spread in the U.S and around the world, and that strain seemed to be more infectious than the virus that first appeared last year in Wuhan.

BioRxiv was the first site to publish the findings last week, and while it was not yet peer-reviewed, scientists urged researchers to develop vaccines based on the latest and stronger strain of COVID-19.

Bette Korber, research team leader, and Los Alamos’ computational biologist called their findings as “hard news” as posted on her Facebook page.

Krober said that the world’s scientific community has been working the closest, which he has never seen before in his 30-year career as a scientist.

According to a report by the L.A Times, the mutation was seen on the spike-looking outer part of the virus that ables it to infiltrate the respiratory system, and this has been the prevailing strain spreading across the world since the middle of March.

A total of 14 mutations were identified by the Los Alamos group, along with experts England’s University of Sheffield and Duke University.

The research also indicated that the most responsible for the development of the virus is what they called D614G.

Korber also noted that the rate at which the virus has developed was alarming, and it was around March that they had seen the bug in its dominant epidemic form. He then further explained that the infections with this type of strain are more contagious once they enter the population.

The biologist elaborated by saying that while the original form of the virus from Wuhan that primarily hit New York around March, it was the mutation that spread within just a matter of days.

Researchers said, though, that the faster transmission rate of new coronavirus strain does not actually indicate a more severe effect on the individuals who are infected with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Sheffield scientists who conducted another study with 447 coronavirus patients showed that the rate of hospitalization rate for the mutated virus was just the same as compared to the first strain.

As of this date, over 3.5 million people globally have been tested positive with the coronavirus, with at least 250,000 casualties.

Source: New York Post