Important things to know about the new strain of Covid-19 virus
A new strain(B.1.1.529) of the covid-19 virus that had been found recently in south africa had been more alarming than the old variants. The Scientists have informed the health departments about its seriousness since it has a high number of spike mutations, is more resistant to vaccines, and also its increased transmissibility. Below are the important things we need to know about it:
The B1.1.529 variant has more than 50 mutations with 30 spike proteins alone. This spike protein makes easy access to the body cells. Scientists are also confirming whether it is more transmissible or not. The Receptor binding part of the variant has ten mutations compared to the delta variant. There are also various reports about the new variant origin. It may be evolved from chronic infection of a person who may be an untreated hiv patient says Francois Balloux, director of UCL Genetics Institute. This variant is first found in south africa and then in botswana where it infected fully vaccinated people. In south africa, over more than 100 cases are been linked with this virus.