Coronavirus is mutating as it moves around the US -- here's what that means for you

[riversedge]

Source: raw story





Published 1 min ago on June 11, 2020



A new analysis published in the journal Science found seven new strains of the coronavirus that have been circulating in California — and that’s according to a very small sample size.

Specifically, a group of international scientists looked at samples from 36 COVID-19 patients in nine California counties and the Grand Princess cruise ship from late January to mid-March. Through a phylogenetic analysis — which is when researchers study the evolutionary relationships of genes — they found at least seven different SARS-CoV-2 lineages, including the WA1 strain which has been associated with Washington state.


This is one of several studies that have taken a look at the genomics of the virus in various regions across the country to better understand its spread.


“These genomic studies help us understand how the virus got here, where it’s propagated and where it kind of petered out,” Dr. George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California–San Francisco who was not involved in the study, told Salon. “I think that understanding that our cases were probably imported from Washington is helpful . . . we know that there have been some cases that may have been indirectly imported from Asia, but we have a relatively small number of introductions here as opposed to New York, which had probably hundreds of introductions.”
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Rutherford added that it is important to note that this research was done before it was known that a woman in the Bay Area died of COVID-19 on February 6. Her death is now considered to be the first known coronavirus-related fatality in the country. While that strain has yet to be sequenced, Rutherford said, “presumably it would fit into one of these strains, but we don’t know until we know.”.............................

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/2020/06/coronavirus-is-mutating-as-it-moves-around-the-us-heres-what-that-means-for-you/

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umm. I wonder what this means for the development of a vaccine?? or the development of a successful vaccine.

[empedocles]

1. In a nutshell. Virus mutation makes virus solution more complicated and difficult.

[Steelrolled]

3. I got almost the exact opposite impression from the article.

But what does that mean, to have more than one strain circulating within one region? And does it affect the ability to vaccinate against the virus?

“These strains are like looking at people and saying one is tall, one is short, one has brown eyes and one has blue eyes,” Rutherford said. “These are small differences in the genome, and they don’t necessarily mean that there are differences in infectivity, pathogenicity, in the types of symptoms they cause,” he added.

“The virus isolates out into different lineages, and so it’s more than a curiosity, because it’s important in helping us to understand viral dynamics, but it doesn’t really have clinical significance,” he said.

[ZenDem]

2. I found this...

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-to-know-about-mutation-and-covid-19#What-this-means-for-a-vaccine

“It should be possible to make an effective COVID-19 vaccine that will provide long-lasting immunity against this particular virus just as we have for many other viruses that do not change rapidly,” Rose added.

When we finally have a COVID-19 vaccine, it will most likely protect people against the “vast majority of circulating COVID-19 strains for the foreseeable mutations,” Schleiss said.

Even if random mutations do occur down the road, Schleiss believes the worst-case scenario is that we’ll see some breakthrough infections, but we wouldn’t have breakthrough life-threatening disease.

[Chemisse]

16. Interesting. That's a departure from what has been stated previously.

Just last week, Dr. Fauci said a vaccine might only be good for a year or two.

“If you look at the duration of protection when you recover from one of the several benign coronaviruses that cause the common cold, the durability of infection is only measured in a year or less as opposed to the other infections where you can get 15 to 20 years of protection,” he said.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/06/03/coronavirus-vaccine-dr-anthony-fauci-questions-long-term-immunity/3133660001/

[ZenDem]

22. I have no idea.

I know the basics of how vaccines work, but how they still work with mutations, no clue.
I'm guessing that the CV19 vaccine will eventually be included with the flu vaccine. Because this is a yearly does, I would guess that would make it easier to make changes as the mutations become more threatening or resistant.

I'm a project manager at a media firm, so my medical knowledge is limited to the miraculousness of Neosporin combined with fabric Band-Aids.

[Chemisse]

24. LOL! There is a lot of conflicting info out there.

Just last week the WHO said it was rare for asymptomatic people to be contagious! And I'm like - what??? And then that turned out to be a mistake.

[LiberalArkie]

4. I think it will be like the common cold. Too many variations to make a vaccine.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. I've known since March it was mutating. NextStrain.org has over 4000 strains, up to 20 mutations eac

A few days ago they were showing over 4000. Today it say 2647 strains

https://nextstrain.org/ncov/global?d=tree&dmax=2020-06-06&dmin=2019-12-26&m=div&p=full

[bucolic_frolic]

6. More bleach!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

9. ...

<--- Just to be safe!

[CountAllVotes]

13. Liesol + UV light up the rear end

And you have a winning ticket!

Liesol/UV 2020 = the GOP ticket you CAN believe in! (maybe) ha!

[Igel]

7. In general, mutations make vaccine development harder.

But it comes down to where the mutations are.

SARS-CoV-2, it's said, has repair mechanisms built into its production. So if there's a mutation there's a good chance it'll be caught and that virus doesn't get out. Most of the time. The bigger the mutation, the more likely it'll be caught.

Most mutations happen at a handful of locations and those aren't locations that are being eyed by vaccine developers. These were identified early on (because most of the mutations were happening at just a dozen or so locations) and they avoided those locations. They also turn out not to be that crucial in the virus' replication cycle.

But not all mutations that get past the replication censors are created equal. Mutations can be a single amino acid or a larger change.

Most SARS-CoV-2 mutations, last I looked it up (it's been a while, so this might be stale information) were point mutations, just one amino acid.

Now, even point mutations can be a big deal because ultimately a protein's important because of its shape and because of where positive and negative charges are found (these two traits both matter). Change a single amino acid and you can change one or both of those features--it's misshapen and won't work, or there's a change in charge and it might not work as well.

But most point mutations in this virus are fairly meaningless. There's a range of amino acids and often there'll be two or more amino acids with very similar or the same the same structural properties. Swap out one, and there's likely to be another of the same size and/or physical or electronic configuration to take its place. These are the mutations that most readily get past the quality-checking "repair" mechanisms.

Not all point mutations are meaningless, however. One feature that separates this SARS virus from its siblings is the tenacity with which it locks onto receptors. That wasn't a large mutation, but apparently changed its electrical properties just enough that instead of forming a wishy-washy bond with the ACE2 receptor it latches on much more tightly, making for greater infection capacity.

[JustGene]

19. Thanks

I love digging into the mechanics of things to really understand whats going on.
I don't know the #s but I believe theres a good chance it can mutate to it's own detriment also.

[roamer65]

8. As long as it's spike protein stays relatively stable, a vaccine or monoclonal antibodies will work.

That is the precise part of the virus antibody therapies and a vaccine will target.

The virus has to maintain connectivity to the ACE2 receptors, otherwise its not viable.

[EllieBC]

11. Speaking of ACE-2

What was the connection with ACE inhibitor hypertension medications?

[Chemisse]

17. It seems those who take ACE inhibitors have a bit of protection from the severe form of Covid. n/t

[roamer65]

18. A big debate.

No one knows right now due to lack of research.

Here’s my biologist side speaking.

If the medications cause an upregulation of ACE-2, then IMO it means a competitive binding situation with the virus. That could mean it’s just a bit harder for the virus to get attachment. But would it make a difference? That’s the $64k question.

[EllieBC]

20. Well damn.

My gp wanted to switch me to an ACE inhibitor last year and I said no thanks.

[roamer65]

23. I use an ARB.

Better tolerated and they have good cardiac side effects.

[EllieBC]

25. I'm on a calcium channel blocker.

Was started on it when I was pregnant with my first kiddo and have been on it since. It works. I’m not a huge fan of having to switch meds.

[roamer65]

26. If it works, don't switch.

[EllieBC]

10. Mutations aren't always something stronger though.

Or meaningful. A virus that is super contagious, super deadly, and there’s no immunity would be a super virus. They all seem to have some fatal self design flaw. Either not that contagious or so deadly they take out their hosts before they can spread.

[CountAllVotes]

12. There has never been a vaccine found for a corona virus

Never.
Never.
Never.

So,don't hold your breath waiting on a vaccine!

[Baclava]

14. Never been one for the rhinovirus either, the common cold, because it constantly changes

I read somewhere there are like 40,000 strains of influenza virus now, with vaccines the last few years running 30-45% effective

The viruses are still winning

[FarPoint]

15. I second that information..

Trump and Company, the media all try and sell false hope....It is a fact, there has NEVER been a vaccine for any human corona virus...ever!