An interesting new study deals with the effects of the natural mutations in the spike antigen of the SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that is responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic.
A team of scientists from Brazil recently explored the abilities of the UK, South African, and Brazilian variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to evade host CD8+ T cell responses induced by natural infection or vaccination. The findings reveal reduced antigenic coverage for the P.2 Brazilian lineage, indicating its ability to evade SARS-CoV-2-induced T cell responses.
Researchers continue to achieve a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. One such effort has been reported in a new preprint on the bioRxiv server, dealing with the phenomenon of backtracking.
Cross-national study associates low vitamin D levels with higher COVID-19-related mortality
The coronavirus disease 2109 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to wreak havoc across the globe. Since SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, more than 120 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed.
It has been reported that vitamin D supplementation can help reduce the fatal effects of COVID-19. Past studies have also tied vitamin D deficiency to increased mortality due to COVID-19.
A new study by an international team of researchers – from New York University, Abu Dhabi, the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, and Barts Cancer Institute, London – showed that there are lower COVID-19 mortality rates in countries with the most insufficient annual sun exposure, but highest mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) or vitamin D (25)-HD levels.