NEW DELHI: The new coronavirus strain that was found for the first time in the United Kingdom caused a global stir as it is believed to be more contagious than other variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Several nations, including India, have announced varying degrees of restrictions to prevent the spread of the mutated coronavirus, even as the world gradually begins to resist the pandemic with early vaccination campaigns.
However, there is a good chance that the new Covid-19 variant will not be that harmful. How?
The new variant – known as B.1.1.7 or VUI-202012/01 – is certainly not the first SARS-Cov-2 mutation, but it is certainly the first “under investigation”.
For the record, there were more than 12,000 mutations detected in the first 50,000 genomes of the virus and so far, scientists have recorded more than four times that number.
So far, there is little evidence to suggest that the new strain of the virus results in a more severe form of Covid-19, although there is ample evidence to suggest that it is more transmissible or more contagious – and that is probably a blessing in disguise.
According to Ian Jones, professor of virology at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, “the general rule in virology is that better transmission is associated with milder diseases”.
This is not really a new hypothesis – it is actually based on the “law of declining virulence” proposed by 19th century physician Theobald Smith.
According to Smith, there is a “delicate balance” between a pathogen and a host that allows the virus to evolve into a less lethal strain.
Virologists say that if a virus mutates to become more deadly or lethal, it is likely to end up killing its host, even before it has the opportunity to infect others and spread.
Therefore, a mutation can be the pathogen’s response to become more transmissible to become as contagious as possible.
A case in point: the Ebola virus, which spread quickly, but was highly lethal, resulting in the death of the host and eventually disappearing as the opportunity for spread diminished.
Jones also cited the case of bird flu, which in laboratory experiments demonstrated that when the virus became more transmissible, it “did not kill any of the animals used” – indicating that the virus could be lethal or more infectious, but not both.
However, Jonathan Ball, professor of virology at the University of Nottingham, advises caution against this type of thinking, which he calls “lazy” – citing examples of the rabies virus and HIV.
In fact, in the case of HIV, which has killed more than 30 million people worldwide, the mutations may also explain why a vaccine has proved to be illusory.
Ball’s argument is supported by Ravindra Gupta, a virologist at Cambridge University, who points out that a pathogen can kill the host if it has already spread, which is why HIV kills the host but still manages to spread so widely. ”
And while experts are divided over whether a mutation is more or less likely to be deadly, they agree on one thing – don’t give the virus a chance to evolve and find a set of beneficial mutations.
Several nations, including India, have announced varying degrees of restrictions to prevent the spread of the mutated coronavirus, even as the world gradually begins to resist the pandemic with early vaccination campaigns.
However, there is a good chance that the new Covid-19 variant will not be that harmful. How?
The new variant – known as B.1.1.7 or VUI-202012/01 – is certainly not the first SARS-Cov-2 mutation, but it is certainly the first “under investigation”.
For the record, there were more than 12,000 mutations detected in the first 50,000 genomes of the virus and so far, scientists have recorded more than four times that number.
So far, there is little evidence to suggest that the new strain of the virus results in a more severe form of Covid-19, although there is ample evidence to suggest that it is more transmissible or more contagious – and that is probably a blessing in disguise.
According to Ian Jones, professor of virology at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, “the general rule in virology is that better transmission is associated with milder diseases”.
This is not really a new hypothesis – it is actually based on the “law of declining virulence” proposed by 19th century physician Theobald Smith.
According to Smith, there is a “delicate balance” between a pathogen and a host that allows the virus to evolve into a less lethal strain.
Virologists say that if a virus mutates to become more deadly or lethal, it is likely to end up killing its host, even before it has the opportunity to infect others and spread.
Therefore, a mutation can be the pathogen’s response to become more transmissible to become as contagious as possible.
A case in point: the Ebola virus, which spread quickly, but was highly lethal, resulting in the death of the host and eventually disappearing as the opportunity for spread diminished.
Jones also cited the case of bird flu, which in laboratory experiments demonstrated that when the virus became more transmissible, it “did not kill any of the animals used” – indicating that the virus could be lethal or more infectious, but not both.
However, Jonathan Ball, professor of virology at the University of Nottingham, advises caution against this type of thinking, which he calls “lazy” – citing examples of the rabies virus and HIV.
In fact, in the case of HIV, which has killed more than 30 million people worldwide, the mutations may also explain why a vaccine has proved to be illusory.
Ball’s argument is supported by Ravindra Gupta, a virologist at Cambridge University, who points out that a pathogen can kill the host if it has already spread, which is why HIV kills the host but still manages to spread so widely. ”
And while experts are divided over whether a mutation is more or less likely to be deadly, they agree on one thing – don’t give the virus a chance to evolve and find a set of beneficial mutations.