The study, published on the preprint server bioRxiv , highlights the need to study viral evolution and pathogenesis in human and animal hosts. This could help prevent future outbreaks that may mimic the magnitude of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 could be more deadly than previous strains
Researchers have conducted a study showing that the B.1.1.7 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has emerged in the UK is associated with a significantly increased risk of death compared with the viral strain previously circulating in the country.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has now caused more than 117 million infections and claimed more than 2.6 million lives worldwide.
The team’s study of an unvaccinated population found that the B.1.1.7 variant of concern (VoC) was associated with a two-thirds higher case fatality rate, compared with the strain previously circulating in this population. The risk of death was higher among males than females and increased with age and the number of comorbidities.
Viruses evolve under increased pressure, and new research from The Rockefeller University and University of Massachusetts Medical School in the U.S. suggests our antibodies can as well.
Principal Secretary to Prime Minister P.K. Misra on Tuesday chaired a high level review meeting by video conference on Tuesday to review the status and progress of COVID vaccination across States and UTs.
A new study by researchers at the University of the Western Cape aimed to determine why some coronaviruses are more virulent than others. The team speculates that the increased flexibility of the PDZ-binding motif (PBM) of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS22 CoV-2 to be more flexible than the PBM of hCoVs 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1.