What Covid-19 New Variant Means And Virus Mutation

Covid-19 New Strain

Some few days ago, news about a new variant of the virus causing covid-19 surface in the United Kingdom (UK) and South Africa. Much is not known about this variant. The buzz about it generated a lot of questions in the minds of millions of people. I will clear the air with this post.

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Just like they say humans evolve, changing to adapt, so too, microorganisms like coronavirus do. Viruses change as a result of genetic selection through mutation or recombination. But the frequency depends on many factors including how the change occurred.

How Virus Mutate

Mutation occurs when there is an error in the viral genome or recombination when co infecting viruses exchange genetic information, creating a new variant.

Mutation can be due to physical mutagens such as chemical, natural behaviour of the bases that make up nucleic acids of the virus or through friability of the enzymes that replicate the nucleic acid.

Effect Of New Viral Variant

Should the new variant be feared? It should be until more information is known about it. New variant can be neutral, deleterious or favourable. When it is deleterious, it can cause infection in previously immune individuals, more deadly or easily transmitted. In some worse cases, existing vaccines may be ineffective against the new variants.

Covid-19 New Variant

Currently not much is known about the new variant of covid-19. But few details coming shows that it is neutral but more transmitted and can affect young ones. Will the current vaccines be active against it is a matter of time.

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It is a good thing the virus causing covid-19 is not mutating rapidly. It is about a year. So, the new strain may be dealt with soon. But the prayer is that this new strain should not mutate faster than the parent strain or into a more deadly virus.