Researchers in Singapore have discovered a new variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus that causes milder infections, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal this week.
The study showed that COVID-19 patients infected with a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 had better clinical outcomes, including a lower proportion developing low blood oxygen or requiring intensive care.
The study also showed the variant, which has a large deletion in a part of its genome, elicited a more robust immune response.
The study involved researchers from various Singapore institutions, including the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), the Duke-NUS Medical School and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research.
"These studies provide the first convincing data showing that an observed genetic change (mutation) in SARS-CoV-2 has affected the severity of disease in patients," said Gavin Smith at Duke-NUS.
Implications for vaccine development, treatments
The scientists said the findings had implications for vaccine development and treatments for COVID-19.
The variant, which likely came from Wuhan, China, was detected in a cluster of infections that occurred from January to March 2020. In Singapore, the virus was transmitted from person-to-person across several clusters before being contained.
An expert told Reuters this week that mutations in viruses may be "a good thing."
Viruses tend to become less virulent as they mutate so as to infect more people but not to kill them as they depend on the host for food and shelter, according to Paul Tambyah at Singapore's National University Hospital.
However, at least some scientists expressed skepticism about the discovery.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto, suggested in a tweet that the sample size may be too small, and the findings have no immediate practical implications.
"The ∆382 variant of SARS-CoV-2 seems to be associated with a milder infection."<br><br>A mutation with milder <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a>?<br><br>Maybe...maybe not...maybe too small a sample size.<br><br>Doesn't change much - still have to spread out, wash hands & put on a mask indoors.<a href="https://t.co/SgVnLSgqBu">https://t.co/SgVnLSgqBu</a> <a href="https://t.co/PubkNCsboh">pic.twitter.com/PubkNCsboh</a>
—@BogochIsaac
tinyurlis.gdu.nuclck.ruulvis.netshrtco.de
مقالات مشابه
- اوگاندا روزنامه نگاران حمله توسط نیروهای امنیتی کشته coronavirus مستندات
- دموکرات ها و جمهوریخواهان بریس برای پر مخاطره کشمکش بیش از شاهدان به عنوان برگ برنده دادگاه رزومه
- سفیر روسیه می گوید ایالات متحده و روسیه روابط در یک وضعیت اسفناک'
- Geraldo مارک ریورا مغلوب ساختن پیشی جستن یک فعال حقوق مدنی در سافتبال مصاحبه
- دستیار شخصی شارژ شده در tech مدیر عامل وحشتناک dismembering مرگ در منهتن
- مغلوب ساختن پیشی جستن دفاع آمریکا COVID-19 پاسخ به تماس بشویید. فرماندار 'مار' در scattershot CDC بازدید
- کفش اسپرت مردانه
- Parnas, لیست مواد منفجره شواهد در مورد تهمت او می خواهم به اشتراک گذاری به عنوان یک استیضاح شاهد
- چند Aurora افسران پلیس قرار داده شده در مرخصی اداری با توجه به عکس گفته های گرفته شده در نزدیکی جایی که الیاس McClain درگذشت
- چین چهره رشد انزوا با بیش از 11,000 coronavirus موارد در حال حاضر گزارش