Coronavirus Mutation is it Dangerous

An increasingly common mutation of the novel coronavirus found in Europe, North America and parts of Asia may be more infectious but appears less deadly, according to a prominent infectious diseases doctor.

Researchers have so far found considerable evidence that supports that finding that this mutation may be highly infections, almost 10 times as those found before.

According to research published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, the D614G mutation was first observed in late January in China.

The new strain of coronavirus that was also recently reported from Malaysia was detected in eight of the 22 whole-genome sequences reported in Indonesia. The institute confirmed that this meant that nearly 40 per cent genomes reported in Indonesia were the D614G strain. 

What we know about D614 Coronavirus Mutation.

D614G is one of the mutations of the novel coronavirus, dubbed as SARS-CoV-2. The coronavirus is made up of spike proteins. According to researchers, D614G is also present in those spikes itself. This mutation changes amino acid at the position 614, from D – aspartic acid, to G – glycine. Hence, it is named D614G.

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Can Mutation Make the Coronavirus even More Dangerous?

Can Mutation affect the Vaccine development?

Why Virus mutate?

Can Mutation Make the Coronavirus even More Dangerous?

The D614G mutation in some parts of the world has coincided with a drop in death rates, suggesting it is less lethal.

Maybe that's a good thing to have a virus that is more infectious but less deadly," Tambyah told Reuters.
Tambyah said most viruses tend to become less virulent as they mutate.

Can Mutation affect the Vaccine development?

The minimal diversity of coronavirus suggests global vaccine is feasible.

However, biologists, so far, have been quick to confirm that while the mutation brings about changes to the spike protein structure, no such changes have been observed with the ACE2 receptors, which is a critical target of the immune system and hence, any mutation is unlikely to bring around changes to immunogenicity. This would mean that any vaccine would most probably be effective in fighting the virus.

Again, as long as the mutations aren't aggressive, vaccines could still work in protecting populations from infections and reinfections to a certain extent. It all depends on the vaccine's efficacy rates.

Why Virus Mutate? 

Just as natural selection has shaped the evolution of humans, plants, and all living things on the planet, natural selection shapes viruses, too. Though viruses aren’t technically living – they need a host organism in order to reproduce – they are subject to evolutionary pressures.

The human immune system uses a number of tactics to fight pathogens. The pathogen’s job is to evade the immune system, create more copies of itself, and spread to other hosts. Characteristics that help a virus do its job tend to be kept from one generation to another. Characteristics that make it difficult for the virus to spread to another host tend to be lost.