Here's what you should know about a study that claims a new dominant strain of the virus could spread faster than the original.
, wondering if there might be other reasons we’re seeing a more dominant strain of the virus crop up in recent months.
“The crown-like spike proteins are what the virus uses to infect host cells so that it can replicate and then exit,” said Hokeness, who was not affiliated with the study. “So, the spike plays an important role in the life cycle of the virus in humans. Without it, we would not get infected.” This strain may be more “fit” or “stable,” Esper said, meaning it is less likely to mutate as quickly as the initial strain. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more contagious.
“Each cell that [the virus] infects can make upwards of a million copies of the virus,” she said. “This rapid rate of replication is very prone to errors,” which can add up quickly. Errors then get passed on to new viruses, that then replicate again, resulting in minor mutations from the original form.
She likened the virus’s mutation process to getting a key made for your front door ― it unlocks the door but may be a little hard to get in and out of the lock. But right now, the novel coronavirus doesn’t really need to mutate very much. “It is a strong virus,” Hokeness said. “It has transmissibility that is remarkable in many ways, like the levels of asymptomatic spread, which means we most likely won’t see major changes any time soon.”
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