The origin of new strain of COVID 19 virus is due to change in spike protein (receptor protein). It is also supposed that this new strain spread at faster rate and comparatively more dangerous, is it virus stil mutating at the same rate as it was when arrived (dec 2019)? Why only UK is the country to face this new strain first, does something related to climatic conditions? Here is a BBC news article New coronavirus variant: What do we know? - BBC News
Related to new corona strain
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We can say that the UK is the first country that has come up with the discovery of this new strain.
This is because of regular testing methods.
It maybe a case in other countries as well but it has emerged/isn’t prominent yet.
Will it be right to bring-in climatic conditions as one of the causes that have led to the mutations?
What could be the relation between climatic conditions and mutations?
Nigeria has also announced the discovery of a new strain.
This panel discussion of several specialists in India describes the parameters of the UK discovered strain fairly comprehensively. It also emerges that the scientists working in this area are aware of many other strains, but as long as they pose either no new health hazard or problem for detection, and also no barrier to the use of the vaccines under development, they are curiosities, but not significantly so.
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Aha!
There we go.
This should not be limited to discussions, webinars, etc. The world has seen enough of this virus and we never know what is about to come. But, as a preventive measure, with the knowledge about the various strains of viruses that we have, we should be prepared for the unknown.
Atleast, as Citizen Scientists, we should educate people who have less knowledge about this.
Will help!
That’s why we have this open platform. Nobody can ‘teach’ anyone who doesn’t want to learn, but more people can be led to discover they can learn on their own in a place where they are appreciated as they are.
It is still true that this leaves out vast numbers (and share) of Indians who hardly have access to smartphone based digital sharing, much less computer based, but for that, the second growth area of standalone networks and local knowledge resources (Village Telco and DOER) must be taken far and wide.
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The thought of climate with the new strain of COVID-19 virus came to mind because of an article I read about the Dengue fever virus
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-virology-110615-035630
although the report required further study of how environmental factors were changing viral phenotype character by altering its genetics.
Also I read some article relating climate change and viral spread.
@drishtantmkawale
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As mentioned by Drishant, certain mutations have emerged independently in other countries but didn’t gain prominence.
Though, both the ‘B.1.1.7 UK variants & B.1.351 South Africa Variant’ represent unique combinations of mutations / deletions that have rarely been observed before, scientists speculate that the two lineages may have acquired those during a persistent infection in an immunocompromised patient.
Treatment by convalescent serum (or mono- / polyclonal antibody therapies) might have played a role in the acquisition of those mutations (though note that neither of those lineages seems to be an immune-escape strain).
So many man-made ways to promote escape variants, accelerate the evolution
✓promiscuous use of convalescent plasma
✓validated vaccine schedules
✓allow sustained, broad spread
✓don’t protect immuncompromised hosts
https://common.page/covid-19/Virus.Variant
https://common.page/covid-19/Virus.Variants.Origin
We have been working on a new approach to dealing with information and sense-make in the digital world.
Just like a navigation system, we are creating a path to evidence (simplifying your approach to get to the data/evidence). You can see it as Maps of evidence for community use- that are easy to explore, and as natural to read as a normal document.
A new cluster, named P.1 lineage, comprises 42% (13 out of 31) of the genomes from Manaus, Amazonas state, north Brazil detected in mid/late-December. This variant contains multiple shared mutations in the spike, raising concern about convergent evolution to a new phenotype, potentially associated with an increase in transmissibility or propensity for re-infection of individuals.
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Continuation of this into a thread.