New COVID-19 mutation helps outbreaks spread quicker
By: Amanda Woods (New York Post)
Viruses are tricky little buggers. Just keep in mind that people spread the coronavirus. The careless complacency of people are allowing new strains of the virus to spread more rapidly.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Professor Nick Loman, of the University of Birmingham, who is part of the COVID-19 Genomics Consortium, told BBC Radio 4's "Today" program that the mutation, known as D614G, is forming clusters more quickly in the UK than the original virus from Wuhan.
"It exists in the spike protein, which is a very important way that the coronavirus can enter human cells, and we have been noticing in the UK and worldwide that this mutation has been increasing in frequency," Loman said. "This mutation was predicted first by computer modeling to have some impact on the structure of that protein and the ability of the virus to bind and enter cells and then quite recently was shown in laboratory experiments to increase the infectivity of cells."
Scientists came to the conclusion after analyzing more than 40,000 genomes in the UK, according to Loman.
The new mutation, however, is not believed to cause a greater risk of death or lengthier hospital stays, the Telegraph reported.
Loman called the mutation "the most dominant mutation — it's about 75 percent of cases."
"This increase in this mutation is a worldwide phenomenon," he added. "The original virus out of Wuhan had the D-type, but the G-type has become much more dominant across the world, including the UK."
However, the strain is not expected to impact the process of finding a vaccine for COVID-19, he added.
He also attempted to alleviate any concerns that the mutation might signal a deadly new phase for the coronavirus.
"It's a small impact, we think, and we're not completely confident about that, but we found by testing what happened in the UK that the viruses that contained the G-type of mutation seemed to form clusters of cases faster, which ended up being bigger than viruses with the D-mutation," the professor said. "We didn't see any significant association with survival and the length of hospital stays with this mutation — we don't think this mutation is important in changing virulence. The effect seems to be on transmissibility."
Dr. Heidi J. Zapata, a Yale Medicine infectious disease specialist and immunologist, also said there's not enough conclusive evidence to suggest the virus is becoming more infectious or deadly.
"Currently, we do not have sufficient evidence to come to any conclusions about the virus becoming more malicious or benign," Zapata told CNET. "We simply know that certain variants have become more prominent, such as the D614G strain. However, currently, our evidence about D614G shows that it is not causing different clinical outcomes in humans."
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Cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze. Spreading the virus is a breeze. Wherever there is an uncovered nose, that's where the virus quickly goes.
The new mutation, however, is not believed to cause a greater risk of death or lengthier hospital stays, the Telegraph reported.
A lot of people fail to cover the nose
Yeah, I've noticed. How difficult would it be for news organizations to publish educational articles or air demonstrations on how to wear a mask?
The Federal government does have that type of information available but it's buried in the bureaucratic morass. The Federal government could mandate that news organizations and broadcasters perform the public service of distributing that information. Here's a two minute OSHA video, as an example.
It's not rocket science. No articles or demonstrations would do any good. What I find disgusting is the people who have lost someone to CV and still refuse to mask when they are most likely the ones who gave it to a family member.
Well, it appears at the moment the news media is saturating the airwaves with all kinds of so called "expert" advice, so they have become the de facto leader of our citizens. They offer us a never ending menu of dooms day hysteria and uninformed fear mongering.
And as for government...we've heard so much contradictory and inaccurate information by these alleged "experts", that many of us have been forced to apply common sense and do our own research. I'll trust the word of Dr. Birx over the politically inclined Dr. Fauci.
And we sure can't take a chance to allow an empty head dipstick like Biden anywhere close to the WH. He has no leadership capabilities or talents.
Nancy Pelosi could push through legislation that mandates the production and distribution of educational material. And the legislation could mandate that news organizations and broadcasters disseminate that educational material as a public service.
Nancy Pelosi could include a requirement that the government distribute face masks, soaps, and disinfectants in legislation for the Federal response to the pandemic.
There is little doubt that any explanation why Nancy Pelosi has not pursued those types of common sense legislation would include a big ol' but.
The new mutation, however, is not believed to cause a greater risk of death or lengthier hospital stays, the Telegraph reported.
A lot of people fail to cover the nose
Have there been any studies showing masks are effective in slowing the spread of the new mutation that makes it more contagious?
Masks help contain the droplets and mist from respiration and talking that carry and spread all viruses. The better the mask, the better the protection. I wear N-95 masks because my life is more important than my bank account. Fifteen years as a paramedic taught me that a dead paramedic doesn't save many lives.