Although many countries are beginning to take the coronavirus pandemic for granted, many experts warn against lowering our guard. Researchers at the Chinese University of Zhejiang have already confirmed that SARS CoV-2 has mutated, affecting its pathogenicity.
The researchers say that some of the strains that first reached Europe and then the United States could be up to 270 times more virulent than those in China. This has now been confirmed by the American Poplar National Laboratory. According to them, the dominant strain is now much more contagious than the one from the early days, as reported by 'ABC' (a Spanish newspaper).
There is a danger of a second infection
They explain that it was in Europe that this more aggressive strain would have spread throughout February and that it didn't take long to get to the United States. According to the study, by mid-March, it was already the predominant strain on most of the planet.
Bette Korber, one of the researchers, confirms that it took very few weeks for it to expand. After doing the computer analysis of more than 6,000 sequences of coronavirus, the conclusion is that it was becoming dominant on all occasions.
In addition to its rapid spread, they confirm that this new version of the virus can reappear in people who had theoretically overcome the disease, making them vulnerable to a second infection. It has not been proven, however, that this one is more lethal than the original.
The researchers' work has shown that the mutation of this strain occurs in the spicules that protrude from the surface of the virus and that it is, therefore, easier for it to attach to human cells.
With the publication of this study, they want to give an "early warning" to all the teams that are working on the search for a cure or a vaccine. This new mutation could render ineffective the first treatments that were being worked on and make the most advanced vaccines to be reconsidered.
[This is a translation of the original article "Malas noticias: Descubren una nueva cepa del coronavirus, y contagia mucho más" published in espanadiario.net]