What Do We Know About the New Covid-19 Variant

Posted on: Jan 4, 2021 Publish By: funerallink

It seems like the world is not out-of-the-woods yet. Although we ushered in the New Year, we are all still vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus. Especially now that the World Health Organization identified a mutation of the originally terrifying virus that made everyone fear for their lives.

As the World Health Organization stated before, a virus always mutates and will change its behavior. Here are informational tidbits that you need to understand about the mutated variant of Covid-19.

Why This Particular Variant is Causing Concern?

The World Health Organization has emphasized a virus’ capability to mutate even at the start of the pandemic. Although such mutation is anticipated, several characteristics make the new Covid-19 variant a concern to the people.

The new mutation replaces every other version of the Covid-19 virus.
Its mutation affects the virus’s critical aspects.
As shown in laboratory exams, the mutation affects the virus’s ability to infect cells making it potentially more dangerous.

How Fast is the New Mutation Spreading?

As per official records, the new strain of the virus was detected in September. Unfortunately, it was during November wherein 25% of the Covid-19 infections in London were of the new strain. The number went up in November, making it 2/3 of the total cases.

How Far Has the New Strain Spread?

According to reports, the new strain of Coronavirus is found all over the UK. Great concentration lies in London, eastern and Southeast England. Fortunately, there aren’t noted cases in Northern Ireland. Regarding country-to-country transmissions, there are several cases in Australia, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Are There Several Mutations Identified?

The globally-recognized mutation is identified as D614G. It is the most dominant form of Coronavirus. As per the new strain that spread across Europe, it is identified as A222V. This mutation was originally linked to people’s holidays in Spain.

Aside from these two, the World Health Organization recognizes 17 possible strains. One of those is the N501Y which was tagged as the “receptor-binding domain.” Another possible strain involves – an H69/V70 deletion.

Where New Virus Strains Do Comes From?

According to scientists, the virus is greatly mutated and that has probably emerged from a patient with a weakened immune system that was unable to beat the virus. Unfortunately, their immune-compromised body became the breeding ground for the mutation.

Can Newly-Formulated Vaccines be Effective on Virus Strains?

For now, the World Health Organization is hopeful that the vaccine will work. But, if the virus continues to produce more mutations, it can be a cause of concern.

Because there are still no vaccines being rolled out into the public and there is an alarming rate of new-strain transmissions worldwide, the best course of action lies in preventive strategies. Washing your hands frequently, physical distancing, wearing masks, and protective gear is the most reliable option.

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