CoV2 Mutates And Might Become Less Harmful

[LeeLemonoil]

Autotranslated this german newspaper-article. Sources and publications linked up there


Coronavirus: Mutationen betreffen auch Schlüsselprotein - DER SPIEGEL - Wissenschaft


Ineffective drugs, unreliable tests: Changes in the genetic material of the coronavirus also affect the site through which the pathogen enters the body - with potentially far-reaching consequences.


Gene analyses show that the novel coronavirus apparently continues to adapt to the human host. So far, hundreds of changes in the viral genome have been reported. Some of them also affect the key protein and could affect how contagious the pathogen is.


In a recent analysis, British researchers have analyzed the genome of more than 5300 sars-CoV-2 viruses from 62 countries, they report on the platform "biorxiv". It is normal for a virus to change over time. In order to multiply, the genome of the virus must constantly copy itself. Random errors, so-called mutations, often have no effect.

However, the researchers found two sites in the genome of the virus that were particularly frequently affected by mutations. One of the sites contains parts of the blueprint for the key protein with which the corona virus invades body cells. One occurred in several viruses and, according to the researchers, influences the surface structure of the key protein. The affected samples originated from different countries, so the mutation had apparently become established several times. This suggests that this change might be an advantage for the virus.


Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator





It's my interpretation that CoV2 might become similar in quality as the common, endemic corona-viruses - meaning less harmful than influenza. That's speculation of course.

As it is, it will make the entire vaccination matter even more interesting. Vaccine-proponents might try to force entire populations to take in a yearly corona-shot or the mutations, vaccine-opponents can argue that it is not justified by a long shot given that CoV2 is on it way to become relatively harmless

 

[LLight]

From my limited understanding of viruses, long incubation seen with this virus will not favor any strains, right?
The virus can be transmitted long before the host dies, so there is no selection pressure. And if we listen to epidemiologists, it was highly transmissible from the start.

There is no reason a less pathogenic strain would emerge?

 

[LeeLemonoil]

I don’t know. I think the versions that wrecked havoc in nursery homes were under pressure due to killing hosts in an entire environment. But yes, in general I agree to what you think, not much pressure apart from that.

Maybe lockdown and quarantine helps that only relatively harmless strains get through.
Quarantine should do that, if severely sick individuals get singled out early enough

 

[rei]

When you think about the nature of viruses, that they are "court orders" a quorum of cells forming an organ(elle) have decided to produce when stressed, it is not surprising they change as they spread from host to host.

If the order is

recipient cell type:2 "we are dying here from lack of blood flow, please kill Angiotensinreceptor2 to ensure blood flow. If you can, please send copies of this order to the area surrounding you"

and this stops working because the genetic structure of the population changes as it spreads, some cell realizes that maybe the send to: address is wrong since a productive response is not heard, and maybe that 2 was actually a 8 with some damaged bits. So the next round of messages they send out contain

recipient cell type:8 "we are dying here from lack of blood flow, please kill Angiotensinreceptor2 to ensure blood flow. If you can, please send copies of this order to the area surrounding you"

And now suddenly the message is received and blood pressure is kept above normal and the organelle can survive. Things return to normal as perfusion normalizes, the "virus" does not get replicated by sacrificing the cells that are dormant. The disease stops.

The only problem is when there is an underlying condition that has already maxed out blood pressure, then court order to increase blood pressure results in ruptured pipes, blood clots in lungs, death.

 

[koky]

Woodstock Occurred in the Middle of a Pandemic