Healthcare officials worldwide are fighting to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Scientists are studying the virus in order to find a cure, but researchers in China say that preliminary studies shows that COVID-19 is mutating and there are no more than 30 mutations of the virus. This could also explain why the virus is more deadly in certain countries in the world.
Virus mutation
The researchers from Zhejiang University stated that they had direct evidence that the virus has acquired mutations that are capable of substantially changing its pathogenicity. The said study was written by Professor Li Lanjuan, one of China's top scientists, and her team. Professor Li was reportedly the first expert to propose a lockdown in Wuhan, where COVID-19 originated.
The samples of the virus were taken from 11 patients who were admitted to hospitals in Hangzhou, 470 miles east of Wuhan, between January 22 and February 4 during the early phase of the outbreak. By using ultra-deep sequencing, researchers identified 33 mutations of the new coronavirus, 19 of which were said to be new.
According to the study, the deadliest mutations in the patients had also been found in most patients across Europe. The South Morning China Post also reported that the milder strains were the predominant types that are found in some parts of the United States, such as Washington state.
One mutation, that was found in five patients involved in the research, was only been seen in one case in Australia, according to the study. The researchers also said that the findings indicate that the true diversity of the viral strains is still largely underappreciated. They also warned vaccine developers that the accumulating mutations of the virus should be considered in order to avoid potential pitfalls.
In the study, the researchers also assessed the viral load, meaning the total amount of the virus, in human cells after one, two, four and eight hours, as well as after 24 and 48 hours later. The most aggressive strains created 270 times as much viral load as the least potent type, according to the scientists.
Professor Li and her colleagues stated in their findings that a higher viral load leads to a higher cell death ratio. It stated that 10 out of the 11 patients involved in the study had moderate or worse symptoms of COVID-19. The study included 8 male patients and 3 female patients between four months and 71 years old.
All the patients have recovered from the virus since the study. The said research has been published by medRxiv. The findings, which have not been peer-reviewed, were approved by Zhejiang University, according to the study.
Coronavirus cases around the world
As of April 20, 2,512,952 have been infected with COVID-19, there are 173,422 deaths and a total of 660,220 people have recovered.
The United States is the country with the most coronavirus cases, with 795,602 confirmed cases, 43,177 total deaths and 72,561 total recovered. The Trump Administration is currently dealing with hundreds of protesters as some states are reopening their businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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