COVID mutants multiply as scientists race to decode variations
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April 4, 2021
When Bette Korber, a biologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, spotted the first significant mutation in the COVID-19 virus last spring, some scientists were skeptical. They didn’t believe it would make the virus more contagious and said its rapid rise might just be coincidence.
Now, 11 months later, the D614G mutation she helped discover is ubiquitous worldwide, featured in the genomes of fast-spreading variants from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil. Meanwhile, new mutations are popping up in increasingly complicated patterns, spurring a drive by top biologists to devise new ways to track a fire hose of incoming genomic data.
Covid Mutants Multiply As Scientists Race To Track Shape-Shifting Virus Covid Mutants Multiply As Scientists Race To Track Shape-Shifting Virus The flood of new genome data is so great that the Los Alamos lab had to upgrade its servers to deal with the incoming data.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus could settle down and become a mere nuisance like the common cold. (File)
Highlights
Top biologists are devising new ways to track incoming genomic data
The HIV virus is notorious for its rapid mutation rate
When Bette Korber, a biologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, spotted the first significant mutation in the Covid-19 virus last spring, some scientists were skeptical. They didn t believe it would make the virus more contagious and said its rapid rise might just be coincidence.
(April 5): When Bette Korber, a biologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, spotted the first significant mutation in the Covid-19 virus last spring, some scientists were sceptical. They didn’t believe it would make the virus more contagious and said its rapid rise might just be coincidence.
Now, 11 months later, the D614G mutation she helped discover is ubiquitous worldwide, featured in the genomes of fast-spreading variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil. Meanwhile, new mutations are popping up in increasingly complicated patterns, spurring a drive by top biologists to devise new ways to track a fire hose of incoming genomic data.
COVID-19 mutants multiply as scientists race to decode variations gulfnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gulfnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Are We Hurtling or Hurdling Towards Herd Immunity for COVID-19?
Vaccines against COVID-19 were developed in record-smashing time, and now that the rollout has begun, attention is returning to herd immunity, in a real rather than hypothetical sense.
Herd immunity refers to the protection against an infectious disease that arises when a critical mass of individuals in a population becomes immune. The pathogen can’t find welcoming bodies, and the epidemic dies out. Once herd immunity is attained, mitigation measures can be relaxed. But if society opens too soon, a second and even third wave of disease can ensue – as we’ve seen.