Post by Admin on Sept 11, 2020 19:22:59 GMT
A mutation of the coronavirus which appears to increase infectivity is now the most common form of the virus in Australia.
International researchers found a newer strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, was more infectious in laboratory tests but did not make patients sicker.
The mutation, known as D614G or the G-variant, is now the most prevalent form of the virus in Australia according to the Bedford lab, which pulls together global genomic data on COVID-19 through the platform Nextstrain.
University of Sydney Professor Edward Holmes - one of the world’s leading experts on the virus - said the evidence showed the mutation increased infectivity when tested on cell cultures under laboratory conditions.
But Professor Holmes – who was not involved in the research – did not believe the impact of the mutation would be as significant in the human population as it was in the laboratory.
“In nature, my guess is it also increases infectivity a bit but not massively so,” he said.
“I think it will have a moderate effect, not a massive effect. There has been a lot of talk about this mutation but I don’t think it’s hugely significant.”
Professor Holmes said the G-variant was not the reason for the second wave of COVID-19 in Melbourne.
“We have got a second wave in Melbourne because the virus got out of quarantine into a big susceptible population and then it spread. The earlier mutation would have done exactly the same thing.”
Professor Holmes – who was part of the team that cracked the genetic code of the virus that causes COVID-19 – also did not believe the mutation would change the way vaccines are developed.
International researchers found a newer strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, was more infectious in laboratory tests but did not make patients sicker.
The mutation, known as D614G or the G-variant, is now the most prevalent form of the virus in Australia according to the Bedford lab, which pulls together global genomic data on COVID-19 through the platform Nextstrain.
University of Sydney Professor Edward Holmes - one of the world’s leading experts on the virus - said the evidence showed the mutation increased infectivity when tested on cell cultures under laboratory conditions.
But Professor Holmes – who was not involved in the research – did not believe the impact of the mutation would be as significant in the human population as it was in the laboratory.
“In nature, my guess is it also increases infectivity a bit but not massively so,” he said.
“I think it will have a moderate effect, not a massive effect. There has been a lot of talk about this mutation but I don’t think it’s hugely significant.”
Professor Holmes said the G-variant was not the reason for the second wave of COVID-19 in Melbourne.
“We have got a second wave in Melbourne because the virus got out of quarantine into a big susceptible population and then it spread. The earlier mutation would have done exactly the same thing.”
Professor Holmes – who was part of the team that cracked the genetic code of the virus that causes COVID-19 – also did not believe the mutation would change the way vaccines are developed.