Deadliest COVID Variant: As the world continues to battle with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a new variant of coronavirus, NeoCov, has been detected by scientists. The latest variant has been detected and discovered in a bat population in South Africa.
NeoCov Variant of Coronavirus
NeoCov is related to Middle East respiratory syndrome or MERS-coronavirus, according to a report published on bioRxiv which is yet to be peer-reviewed. The symptoms of MERS-Cov is similar to that of SARS-CoV-2. The former was discovered in the middle east nations during 2012 and 2015.
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High Mortality and Transmission Rate
The new COVID-19 variant carries a potentially high mortality rate of MERS-Coronavirus and a high transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2. According to Sputnik, one in every three infected people die on average.
The variant which was known to spread among animals could affect human beings with its close relative PDF-2180-CoV. "In this study, we unexpectedly found that NeoCoV and its close relative, PDF-2180-CoV, can efficiently use some types of bat Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and, less favourably, human ACE2 for entry," the study outlines.
Current vaccinations don't work against NeoCov
The current vaccinations are inadequate to protect humans from any eventuality of the infections caused by these viruses. Furthermore, the NeoCov could not be cross-neutralised by antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 or MERS-CoV, according to a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed study by researchers.
"Considering the extensive mutations in the RBD regions of the SARS-CoV-2 variants, especially the heavily mutated omicron variant, these viruses may hold a latent potential to infect humans through further adaptation via antigenic drift," the report highlights.
ACE2 is a receptor protein on cells that aids the entry for the coronavirus to hook into and infect a wide range of cells. "Our study demonstrates the first case of ACE2 usage in MERS-related viruses, shedding light on a potential bio-safety threat of the human emergence of an ACE2 using "MERS-CoV-2" with both high fatality and transmission rate," the study adds.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has maintained that further study is required related to the NeoCov virus detected in a report published by the Russian news agency TASS.
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