With over a year since the rise of COVID-19, which has changed almost everyone's lives, there has been a constant effort by people all over the world to research and find a way to get ahead of this virus. In this article on The Scientist written by Abby Olena, there is a discussion about a specific mutation that has arisen within the virus and how it may be giving it higher transmissibility.
The 614g variant is being researched and though it has not been definitively confirmed, there appears to be a relationship between the mutation and the virus's ability to spread more efficiently. While looking at many cases of the virus in the UK and also looking at animal testing, patterns were observed. When someone was infected with the virus that contained this mutation, they also typically had significantly more viral particles found in their respiratory tract. With more of the viral particles found in the respiratory tract, there would be a greater probability of spreading the virus to another person, giving it a new advantage. Though, reading articles like this one can be quite discouraging, the research that has been and that is still being done to understand the virus is crucial. Any and everything that we can learn about COVID-19 and how it functions gets us closer and closer to a solution.
Additional Links
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201113/study-new-coronavirus-mutation-accelerates-spread
This is an interesting read. It's interesting to see how our genes can make us more susceptible to certain viruses we didn't even know about it. I wonder how many people have this mutation; there should be a way for them to know so they could be more cautious.
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