The new coronavirus strain: How did it originate and what do we know about it so far?
Tags: Coronavirus, Covid 19 Crisis, Covid 19

Why worry about the new Corona virus strain?

This new strain combined factors that made it a subject of concern. The first of these factors is the speed of spread and the acquisition of the location of previous versions of the virus, which gives the impression that it has control over the original strain. The second factor is the ability of this new strain to develop genetic mutations that change an important aspect of the virus’s behavior, and the third is the ability of these gene mutations to enable the virus to infect cells more than before, which means an increase in the rate of susceptibility to infection.

However, we have no absolute certainty. New strains of the virus may become more widespread if the atmosphere is created for them in a place, time and appropriate, as happened in London, which did not exceed until recently the application of the second level of measures to combat the epidemic, but it moved in a few days to the fourth level.

How fast is the new Corona virus strain spread?

This strain was first discovered last September, and by November it had a quarter of the number of infected people in London, before this percentage reached two-thirds in mid-December.

It is not difficult to determine the extent of control of the new strain on the results of swabs in some medical centers in London.

Athletes try to compare the numbers in the field of the ability of different viruses to spread, in an attempt to calculate the degree of superiority of this new strain of Corona virus over other strains.

But the difficult thing is to separate human behavior patterns and the degree of virus outbreak. And the number cited by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggests that the new strain may be more likely to spread by as much as 70 percent.

Johnson said that this may increase the rate of an infected person’s ability to transmit the infection to others by 0.4.

The extent of the spread of the epidemic is inferred by determining the rate of the person’s ability to transmit the infection to others.

The 70 percent figure was revealed in a lecture by Eric Falls, a researcher at Imperial College London, on Friday. Falles explained in his lecture that “it is too early to separate the matter …

But from what we have seen so far, the new strain of Corona is spreading very quickly, faster than the previous version of the virus itself.

But it is important that we continue to monitor the behavior of this new version.” “.

How and when did the new strain of Corona virus spread?

It is believed that the new Corona virus strain originated in the lung of an infected person in the United Kingdom or in another country with less ability to monitor the genetic mutations that the virus develops.

This new strain can be spotted in the United Kingdom, with the exception of Northern Ireland. However, they are abundant in London, and the east and southeast of England.

Data received from around the world shows that the registered cases of the new strain of the virus in Denmark, Australia and the Netherlands are of people coming from the United Kingdom.

Has the world known a similar scene before?

Answer: Yes; The virus, which was first discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is not the same virus that is now spreading across the globe. And last February, the D614G gene mutations occurred on the first Corona virus in Europe, and the new version expanded in the world. Meanwhile, another version called the A222V appeared in Europe as well, and has been specifically attributed to Spanish vacationers.

Where did the new Corona virus strain come from?

The virus is experiencing genetic mutations at an abnormally accelerated rate. The most likely explanation says that the new strain originated in the lung of a patient suffering from a weakened immune system that left him helpless in front of the Corona virus, which in turn found in the lung of this patient a favorable colony for mutation.

Is Corona virus becoming more dangerous in its new version?

There is no evidence for this, despite what is needed in terms of monitoring and follow-up. However, the new strain’s ability to spread at a faster rate than its predecessors justifies the concern given the more pressure it puts on hospitals.

Do vaccines work with the new strain of corona virus?

Yes, with a lot of assurance. Or at least for now.

The three leading vaccines provide a buffer against existing strains of the Coronavirus. Vaccines help the immune system to attack many different parts of the virus, and even if parts of the virus have genetic mutations, vaccines still do their auxiliary work for the immune system.

“But if we let the virus develop more genetic mutations, then we should be concerned,” says Gupta, a Cambridge University researcher”

The researcher warns: “The virus has taken two steps so far on the road to avoiding vaccine attacks by developing genetic mutations.” This fact is perhaps the most worrisome.

Just as this new strain represents the latest expression of the virus for its ability to adapt and infect more and more people.

David Robertson, a researcher at the University of Glasgow, says: “The virus’s continued ability to develop genetic mutations that help it avoid vaccine attacks is to be expected.”