More Contagious Novel Coronavirus Strain Now Dominates, Reveals US Study
4 years, 3 months ago

More Contagious Novel Coronavirus Strain Now Dominates, Reveals US Study

News 18  

The first study to analyze the structure of the novel coronavirus from two waves of infection in a major city found that a more contagious strain dominates recent samples, researchers from Houston Methodist Hospital said on Wednesday. The Houston researchers said patients infected with the variant strain had significantly higher amounts of the virus on initial diagnosis. But they found little evidence that mutations in the virus have made it deadlier, noting that severity of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, was more strongly linked to patients’ underlying medical conditions and genetics. They also said some regions of the spike protein – the primary target of coronavirus vaccines now in development – showed several mutations, possibly indicating that the virus is changing in order to evade the body’s immune response.

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History of this topic

‘A much more infectious’ COVID variant fueling California’s relentless surge
4 months, 3 weeks ago

‘A much more infectious’ COVID variant fueling California’s relentless surge

LA Times  

California’s relentless FLiRT-fueled COVID surge is continuing to spawn infections at a dizzying rate, with coronavirus levels in wastewater reaching some of the highest levels seen since 2022. For the week that ended Aug. 10, coronavirus levels in sewage were 84% of last winter’s peak in California, according to estimates posted Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and …

New study suggests possibility humans introduced COVID-19 to animals
1 year, 9 months ago

New study suggests possibility humans introduced COVID-19 to animals

China Daily  

Humans infected by the COVID-19 virus may have introduced the novel coronavirus to susceptible animals at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei province, where the first COVID-19 cases were reported, Chinese researchers said on Saturday. Tong Yigang, dean of the College of Life Science and Technology at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, said in a press briefing that no …

China’s COVID-19 surge raises odds of new coronavirus mutant
2 years ago

China’s COVID-19 surge raises odds of new coronavirus mutant

LA Times  

Masked commuters walk during the morning rush hour in Beijing on Dec. 20. “When we’ve seen big waves of infection, it’s often followed by new variants being generated,” Ray said. Ray compared the virus to a boxer that “learns to evade the skills that you have and adapt to get around those.” One big unknown is whether a new variant …

Scientists Worry Virus Variant May Push Up COVID Cases In US
2 years, 9 months ago

Scientists Worry Virus Variant May Push Up COVID Cases In US

Huff Post  

FILE - Fans storm the court at the conclusion of a college basketball game in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday, March 6, 2022. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, told ABC’s “This Week” over the weekend that he also thinks the U.S. will likely face an “uptick” similar to what’s happening in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, …

Expect more worrisome variants after Omicron, scientists warn
2 years, 11 months ago

Expect more worrisome variants after Omicron, scientists warn

LA Times  

People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site in New York City’s Times Square. “It’s the longer, persistent infections that seem to be the most likely breeding grounds for new variants,” said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. For a virus that spreads exponentially, he said, “anything that curbs transmission can have a …

Omicron variant responsible for 91% of Amsterdam coronavirus infections
3 years ago

Omicron variant responsible for 91% of Amsterdam coronavirus infections

NL Times  

An analysis of a random sample of positive coronavirus test swabs showed that nearly 91 percent of infections in the greater Amsterdam area were caused by the newer, highly contagious Omicron variant. The variant has been responsible for a majority of infections in the Amsterdam area since at least December 22, and became dominant in the Netherlands about a week …

US coronavirus: The country just hit a record average of daily new Covid-19 cases
3 years ago

US coronavirus: The country just hit a record average of daily new Covid-19 cases

CNN  

CNN — The US hit a seven-day average of 265,427 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, blowing past the country’s previous record of about 252,000 daily cases, reported nearly a year ago on January 11. “I would urge people to wear a higher quality mask any time they’re in a place with lots of people and they’re going to be indoors …

Genomic sequencing is crucial in the battle against coronavirus. These countries do it well
3 years, 1 month ago

Genomic sequencing is crucial in the battle against coronavirus. These countries do it well

CNN  

CNN — When South African scientists announced they had detected a new coronavirus variant with a worryingly high number of mutations, they were applauded for how quickly they were able to spot it. Sequencing efforts around the world leave much room for improvement, but South Africa’s discovery of the Omicron variant is an example of how focused efforts can make …

Omicron variant cases identified in at least 12 states but Delta still dominates
3 years, 1 month ago

Omicron variant cases identified in at least 12 states but Delta still dominates

CNN  

CNN — Whileat least 12 states have identified cases of the Omicron coronavairus variant, US health officials remain concerned about the Delta version that accounts for practically all new infections. “And those are very likely to work against the Omicron variant.” Omicron may be more transmissible than Delta The first confirmed Omicron case in the US was identified in California …

Omicron variant puts US coronavirus sequencing to the test
3 years, 1 month ago

Omicron variant puts US coronavirus sequencing to the test

CNN  

CNN — Rows of scientists sit before racks of coronavirus samples inside a laboratory in Henderson, North Carolina, wearing face masks and scrubs. “We are now sequencing approximately 80,000 samples per week – about one in every seven PCR positive cases,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told a White House coronavirus briefing Tuesday. Currently, there are about 68 state and …

California confirms nation’s first Omicron variant coronavirus case
3 years, 1 month ago

California confirms nation’s first Omicron variant coronavirus case

LA Times  

As expected, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, first detected in southern Africa, has reached the U.S., with the first case found in California. The first U.S. case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been confirmed in San Francisco, putting California at the center of the nation’s pandemic response once again. “The person recently traveled to South Africa …

US tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start
3 years, 1 month ago

US tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start

Associated Press  

After a slow start, the United States has improved its surveillance system for tracking new coronavirus variants such as omicron, boosting its capacity by tens of thousands of samples per week since early this year. “We’re in a much, much better place than a year ago or even six or nine months ago,” said Kenny Beckman of the University of …

U.S. tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start
3 years, 1 month ago

U.S. tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start

LA Times  

After a slow start, the United States has improved its surveillance system for tracking new coronavirus variants such as Omicron, boosting its capacity by tens of thousands of samples per week since early this year. “We’re in a much, much better place than a year ago or even six or nine months ago,” said Kenny Beckman of the University of …

Coronavirus | Omicron variant puts spotlight back on safety
3 years, 1 month ago

Coronavirus | Omicron variant puts spotlight back on safety

The Hindu  

Omicron, which is the most mutated form of COVID-19 discovered thus far with 32 mutations to the spike protein, has scientists worried that the mutations may now allow it to evade existing vaccines and spread quickly. It’s too early to understand the impact of this new mutation.’’ Vidya P. Taneja, senior consultant, pediatrics, Aartas Clinishare, Delhi, said that the new …

Omicron coronavirus variant raises questions among scientists
3 years, 1 month ago

Omicron coronavirus variant raises questions among scientists

Live Mint  

The fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant recently identified in South Africa has virologists and health authorities on edge because of its many mutations, but much about its infectiousness and virulence remains unknown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that Omicron hadn’t been identified in the U.S. “The U.S. variant surveillance system has reliably detected new variants in this …

Frequent mutations, rapid spread: All about the new coronavirus variant in South Africa
3 years, 1 month ago

Frequent mutations, rapid spread: All about the new coronavirus variant in South Africa

Hindustan Times  

A new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa's most populous Guanteng district has sent governments around the world in a state of high alert – especially in view of the fact that the variant, according to infectious diseases experts, displays a high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people. The new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, currently …

The Race Is On to Develop a Vaccine Against Every Coronavirus
3 years, 2 months ago

The Race Is On to Develop a Vaccine Against Every Coronavirus

Wired  

On October 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave most of the US population permission to get a Covid vaccine booster—a shot in such high demand that 10 million people somehow obtained it in advance of that approval in an effort to feel a little safer. In a fistful of papers and preprints published in the past six …

Explainer: New COVID–19 infections cause mutations and are the main driver of new variants, not vaccines
3 years, 3 months ago

Explainer: New COVID–19 infections cause mutations and are the main driver of new variants, not vaccines

Firstpost  

Nearly all mutations that occur are harmless glitches that don’t change how the virus works – some can harm the virus while a small fraction may make the virus more infectious. But how mutations, random chance and natural selection produce variants is a complicated process, and there has been a lot of confusion about how and why new variants emerge. …

Coronavirus Picking Up New & Virulent Mutations In Karnataka, Suggests Genomic Sequence Report
3 years, 4 months ago

Coronavirus Picking Up New & Virulent Mutations In Karnataka, Suggests Genomic Sequence Report

ABP News  

Bengaluru: The genomic sequencing report submitted to the Karnataka government has suggested that Coronavirus is changing and currently the Delta and sub-lineages of Delta are spreading across Bengaluru Urban and picking up new mutations. Strand Precision Medicine Sciences, a genomics-based research and diagnostics company mandated to conduct genomic sequencing by the Karnataka government to help detect trends in mutations has …

What is the Mu variant of the coronavirus?
3 years, 4 months ago

What is the Mu variant of the coronavirus?

LA Times  

Scientists are still learning about the Mu variant of the coronavirus, which accounts for about 0.1% of infections in the United States. The World Health Organization designated Mu a “variant of interest” last month because of concerns it might make vaccines and treatments less effective — though more evidence is needed to know whether this is indeed the case. A …

Mu coronavirus variant recorded in 167 people in L.A. County
3 years, 4 months ago

Mu coronavirus variant recorded in 167 people in L.A. County

LA Times  

A coronavirus variant recently determined to be a “variant of interest” has been detected in 167 people over the summer in Los Angeles County, officials said. Named after the 12th letter of the Greek alphabet, Mu was declared by the World Health Organization as a “variant of interest” on Aug. 30, and was first identified in January in Colombia, the …

Is Mu variant of coronavirus vaccine resistant? WHO says it could be possible
3 years, 4 months ago

Is Mu variant of coronavirus vaccine resistant? WHO says it could be possible

Hindustan Times  

The World Health Organization has said that the new coronavirus variant 'Mu' showed signs of possible resistance to vaccines. It also said that the variant’s prevalence should be interpreted with "due consideration" as all nations do not have proper sequencing facilities. It said that the preliminary data showed that Mu behaved in a similar way like the Beta variant when …

Curbing Delta: The Hindu Editorial on the variant that drives India’s COVID-19 infections
3 years, 4 months ago

Curbing Delta: The Hindu Editorial on the variant that drives India’s COVID-19 infections

The Hindu  

The overall number of coronavirus cases in India is on a downward trajectory though around 35,000 cases continue to be added almost daily. A weekly update from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium, a repository of labs tasked with monitoring variants of the coronavirus, says that the Delta variant remains most responsible for the continuing spread of infections in India. The …

What we know about the Delta variant
3 years, 4 months ago

What we know about the Delta variant

China Daily  

The Delta variant of the novel coronavirus is now spreading rapidly around the world. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States shows the Delta variant is nearly twice as contagious as previous variants. The US CDC said people infected with the Delta variant can remain infectious for 18 days, longer than the …

Delta variant is 'four times more infectious' than the Wuhan version
3 years, 5 months ago

Delta variant is 'four times more infectious' than the Wuhan version

Dutch News  

Researchers at Maastricht University’s teaching hospital say that the Delta variant of coronavirus is around four times as infectious as the original version which originated in China. American health institute CDC recently described the Delta variant as ‘as infectious as chicken pox’ in an international document reported on by the New York Times. And one recent study even suggested that …

Delta variant is 'four times more infectious' than the Wuhan version
3 years, 5 months ago

Delta variant is 'four times more infectious' than the Wuhan version

Dutch News  

Researchers at Maastricht University’s teaching hospital say that the Delta variant of coronavirus is around four times as infectious as the original version which originated in China. American health institute CDC recently described the Delta variant as ‘as infectious as chicken pox’ in an international document reported on by the New York Times. And one recent study even suggested that …

Too Complacent, Too Soon? Just 184 Coronavirus Genomes Sequenced in July Against 4 Lakh in April: Report
3 years, 5 months ago

Too Complacent, Too Soon? Just 184 Coronavirus Genomes Sequenced in July Against 4 Lakh in April: Report

News 18  

With the number of cases constantly declining in India but with signs that a third wave may be round the corner, India’s efforts to sequence genomes to track for emerging variants have nose-dived after April. According to an exclusive report by The Hindu, data from the National SARS-CoV-2 Genome Consortium, a network of 28 labs across the country equipped to …

New Study Finds How Genome Changes of COVID-19 Virus in Infected Person Can Lead To New Viral COVID Strains
3 years, 5 months ago

New Study Finds How Genome Changes of COVID-19 Virus in Infected Person Can Lead To New Viral COVID Strains

News 18  

Changes that happen in the genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in an infected person reflect at the population level as a variation, according to a study that researchers say will be of enormous utility in predicting the spread and infectivity of viral Covid strains. Tracking the changes that happen in the virus inside a host in individuals and populations might …

CDC document paints more dire picture of threat posed by Delta variant
3 years, 5 months ago

CDC document paints more dire picture of threat posed by Delta variant

LA Times  

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adjusts her face mask during a Senate hearing on the federal coronavirus response. A confidential document prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the highly transmissible Delta variant argues that even people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will need to take more aggressive steps …

Study on New Covid Variants Could Be Breakthrough in Predicting Strains in Population
3 years, 5 months ago

Study on New Covid Variants Could Be Breakthrough in Predicting Strains in Population

News 18  

A new study on the emergence of new Covid-19 variants has shown that Sars-CoV-2 virus mutates inside the infected patient’s body and then infects other individuals carrying the changes with it. The study found 80 per cent of the genomes sequenced in individuals had later emerged as new variants or strains, according to a report by the Times of India. …

Scientists warn of different Covid variants combining and sharing traits as infections rise
3 years, 5 months ago

Scientists warn of different Covid variants combining and sharing traits as infections rise

The Independent  

Scientists have warned of the possibility of Covid variants combining and sharing characteristics as infections surge and the virus is given more opportunity to diversify. Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, said the degree to which recombination events are contributing to the emergence of new variants is “controversial”, arguing that they appear to have arisen largely through recurrent mutations. …

Highly infectious Delta variant spreading rapidly, now California’s dominant coronavirus strain
3 years, 6 months ago

Highly infectious Delta variant spreading rapidly, now California’s dominant coronavirus strain

LA Times  

The highly infectious Delta has become California’s most identified variant of the coronavirus, a troubling development that underscores its danger to unvaccinated populations. That’s a dramatic increase from May, when Delta accounted for just 5.6% of analyzed coronavirus cases in California and was the state’s fourth most identified variant. “The rapid increase in the Delta variant suggests that this strain …

A Coronavirus Epidemic Had Hit 20,000 Years Ago Too, Might Signal the Pandemic is Here to Stay, Study Says
3 years, 6 months ago

A Coronavirus Epidemic Had Hit 20,000 Years Ago Too, Might Signal the Pandemic is Here to Stay, Study Says

News 18  

Researchers have found evidence that a coronavirus epidemic swept East Asia some 20,000 years ago and was devastating enough to leave an evolutionary imprint on the DNA of people alive today. “It should make us worry,” said David Enard, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona who led the study, which was published on Thursday in the journal Current …

Highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant spreading fast in California
3 years, 6 months ago

Highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant spreading fast in California

LA Times  

The Delta coronavirus variant is now the third-most common in California, new data show, underscoring the danger of the highly contagious strain to people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. California L.A. County urges everyone to wear masks indoors as Delta variant spreads With the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus continuing to spread statewide, the Los Angeles …

We Found Traces of Humanity's Age-old Arms Race with Coronaviruses Written in Our DNA
3 years, 6 months ago

We Found Traces of Humanity's Age-old Arms Race with Coronaviruses Written in Our DNA

News 18  

A coronavirus may have swept across East Asia more than 20,000 years ago, leaving traces in the DNA of people in modern China, Japan and Vietnam. Our research, published in Current Biology, found evidence of genetic adaptation to the coronavirus family of viruses in 42 genes in modern populations in these regions. Besides revealing historical coronavirus outbreaks, this information may …

Delta variant of coronavirus most predominant in Varanasi, adjoining areas: Study
3 years, 7 months ago

Delta variant of coronavirus most predominant in Varanasi, adjoining areas: Study

India Today  

The Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi and the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad have collaboratively sequenced genomes of coronavirus variants in Varanasi and adjoining areas. They have discovered at least seven major strains of coronavirus circulating in these regions, with the most predominant variant being the B.1.617 or the 'Delta' variant. "This variant was also reported to be one …

What makes some COVID-19 variants more contagious than others?
3 years, 7 months ago

What makes some COVID-19 variants more contagious than others?

ABC  

The virus that causes COVID-19 is evolving, with new and more infectious variants taking hold. Key points: Most mutations are harmless, but occasionally the virus acquires genetic changes that give it an advantage Mutations in the spike protein on the surface of the virus can make it easier for it to attach and enter human cells The more the virus …

Vietnam Detects New Highly Transmissible Coronavirus Variant
3 years, 7 months ago

Vietnam Detects New Highly Transmissible Coronavirus Variant

NPR  

Vietnam Detects New Highly Transmissible Coronavirus Variant Enlarge this image toggle caption Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images Vietnam has detected a new coronavirus variant that is highly transmissible and has features of two other strains. "Vietnam has uncovered a new COVID-19 variant combining characteristics of the two existing variants first found in India and the …

No evidence COVID-19 vaccines create new virus variants
3 years, 7 months ago

No evidence COVID-19 vaccines create new virus variants

Associated Press  

CLAIM: The variants of the coronavirus that have been found in the global population were created by COVID-19 vaccines, which made antibodies that forced the virus to evolve. “Bombshell: Nobel Prize Winner Reveals - Covid Vaccine is ‘Creating Variants,’” reads the headline of the article, which has been shared more than 6,000 times on Facebook since May 18. The article …

Highly Unlikely That Coronavirus Genes Can Integrate Into Human DNA, Finds Study
3 years, 7 months ago

Highly Unlikely That Coronavirus Genes Can Integrate Into Human DNA, Finds Study

News 18  

New research shows that Covid-19 causing virus, Sars-CoV-2, cannot integrate its RNA to human genes. This finding refutes the controversial claim that the pandemic causing virus was able to insert its genetic material into human DNA. The earlier study showed that when human cells were tested in Petri dishes, the virus’ genetic material was found to slip into human chromosomes. …

Trinity College research finds why COVID 19 is to hard to treat
3 years, 8 months ago

Trinity College research finds why COVID 19 is to hard to treat

India TV News  

Researchers at the Trinity College Dublin showed that a comprehensive review into what we know about Covid 19 and the way it functions suggests that the virus has a unique infectious profile, which explains why it can be so hard to treat and why some people experience a long struggle with the virus, and even after the virus is technically …

Coronavirus: What are variants of concern?
3 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus: What are variants of concern?

The Hindu  

If manuscripts are copied by hand repeatedly, spelling errors are common. As the importance of ‘variants of concern’ was appreciated, the Indian SARS CoV-2 Genomic Consortium, a network of ten competent public-sector laboratories for genomic surveillance, was established, and the genetic variant landscape is being surveyed in India. The widely used one is the ‘Phylogenetic Assignment of Global Outbreak Lineages’ …

Double mutant SARS-CoV-2 virus found in over 60 percent of samples in Maharashtra survey
3 years, 8 months ago

Double mutant SARS-CoV-2 virus found in over 60 percent of samples in Maharashtra survey

Firstpost  

However, as this is a very small size, experts say it cannot be considered as an indication of spread of the mutated virus. Double mutation has been detected in 61 percent of the total 361 COVID-19 samples tested between January and March this year, a genome sequencing expert claimed on Wednesday even as he raised doubts over the methods of …

April 13, 2021 coronavirus news
3 years, 8 months ago

April 13, 2021 coronavirus news

CNN  

Two new studies suggest that the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom, is more transmissible, but the variant does not appear to affect disease severity. One of the new studies, published on Monday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, found no evidence in a sample of hospitalized patients that the B.1.1.7 variant is associated with severe …

April 12, 2021 coronavirus news
3 years, 8 months ago

April 12, 2021 coronavirus news

CNN  

Two new studies suggest that the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom, is more transmissible, but the variant does not appear to affect disease severity in someone who gets Covid-19. One of the new studies, published on Monday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, found no evidence in a sample of hospitalized patients that the B.1.1.7 …

Coronavirus | Indian ‘double mutant’ strain named B.1.617
3 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus | Indian ‘double mutant’ strain named B.1.617

The Hindu  

The ‘double mutant’ virus that scientists had flagged last month as having a bearing on the spread of the pandemic in India, has a formal scientific classification: B.1.617. Other than a place on the coronavirus’s evolutionary history, it also brings focus on the role the variant may be playing in the pandemic, which is now seeing nearly 100,000 fresh infections …

US reports over 10,000 coronavirus variants infections
3 years, 9 months ago

US reports over 10,000 coronavirus variants infections

India TV News  

The US has recorded more than 10,000 infection cases of coronavirus variants as experts warn of another Covid-19 surge. The five coronavirus strains are currently classified by the CDC as "variants of concern," as evidence shows an increase in their transmissibility, increased hospitalizations or deaths, a significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness …

Virus mutations of COVID-19 pose a challenge as latest wave of coronavirus infection in India highlights need to ramp up genome sequencing efforts
3 years, 9 months ago

Virus mutations of COVID-19 pose a challenge as latest wave of coronavirus infection in India highlights need to ramp up genome sequencing efforts

The Hindu  

AFTER touching the lowest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at around 9,100 on February 9, India is witnessing a continuous and worrisome increase. However, according to a recent work by a group of scientists from Seattle, Washington State, which was posted in the online preprint database bioRxiv, the site E484 in the receptor binding domain of the S protein appears …

The Hindu Explains | Will the ‘double mutant’ novel coronavirus strain found in India lead to a further rise in infections?
3 years, 9 months ago

The Hindu Explains | Will the ‘double mutant’ novel coronavirus strain found in India lead to a further rise in infections?

The Hindu  

The story so far: The National Centre for Disease Control, a unit of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reported this week that a unique “double mutant” variant of the novel coronavirus had been found in India. These two variants, along with another called the Brazilian variant, given their spread, infectivity and ability to somewhat reduce the efficacy of …

Luck is essential for any successful coronavirus variant, study shows
3 years, 9 months ago

Luck is essential for any successful coronavirus variant, study shows

LA Times  

Let’s say you are a new member of the SARS-CoV-2 family, with a few genetic tweaks that distinguish you from the rest of the clan. A modeling exercise by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle suggests that for a genetic variant of SARS-CoV-2 to become a menacing new presence, it’s not enough to be scary and …

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