Two COVID Variants Just Combined Into a 'Frankenstein' Virus

[TheProle]

Source: Daily Beast

The first subvariant of Omicron, the latest major variant of the novel coronavirus, was bad. BA.1 drove record cases and hospitalizations in many countries starting last fall.

The second subvariant, BA.2, was worse in some countries—setting new records for daily cases across China and parts of Europe.

Now BA.1 and BA.2 have combined to create a third subvariant. XE, as it’s known, is a “recombinant”—the product of two viruses interacting “Frankenstein”-style in a single host.

With its long list of mutations, XE could be the most contagious form of the coronavirus yet. “From the WHO reports, it does appear to have a bit more of an edge in terms of transmissibility,” Stephanie James, the head of a COVID testing lab at Regis University in Colorado, told The Daily Beast.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/two-omicron-variants-just-combined-to-make-xe-a-frankenstein-covid-virus

[Fullduplexxx]

1. Why cant they mutate into something harmless

[TeamProg]

5. Good thought, but my best guess is that then the virus would not survive. Viruses mutate to survive

and survive by mutating as needed.

I'm not a professional scientist but I think that's the gist of it.

[Deminpenn]

10. That's it

viruses evolve to survive. Those that are very deadly don't survive because they kill their hosts thus ensuring their own demise.

The usual path is they mutate or evolve into being more infectious and much less deadly.

[Blues Heron]

18. you can also have a virus deadly to one species but less lethal to a reservoir species

like Ebola

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. Actually, viruses typically mutate to become

less lethal.

Smallpox is actually the best example. The original form, variola major, was often deadly, and left people scarred. In the 19th century, in two different parts of the world, it mutated and variola minor came about, which rarely killed and didn't scar. Around that time smallpox vaccination became common, and it has been wiped out in humans.

[BlueIdaho]

29. Killing 100% of your host organisms

Is not a successful evolutionary path. I believe we are seeing a much different virus than the first one tracked. More contagious but less lethal.

[Traildogbob]

20. Mutations are a survival

Technique for viruses. They need a host and aggressively make changes to find one they can exist in. Seems to me their BEST chance and an easy host are All GQP. Maybe they can evolve to identify GQP by their sickly brains and go after them and do us all a favor. At least they could attack all Red Hats (not sure they have eyes) as a Buffett for their mode of nutrition and best chance to have little to scientific defense against them. Red Hats should surely have a distinct smell of dead brain matter fir viruses I hone in on.

[toesonthenose]

27. They eventually do, it is the only way for them to survive. Unfortunately can take a very long time

The viruses that kill their hosts don't have as great a chance to survive and replicate over the long term as the variants that develop and are less lethal. Those are able to survive for much longer as the host survives and gives them the ability to become the dominant variant over time. Kind of the opposite of the Trump family tree. The further down it got, the more lethal it became.

[DivByZero]

35. Andromeda Strain

That’s what happened in the novel Andromeda Strain. But no self-respecting virus would do that, it’s adapt or die.

[snowybirdie]

2. Wait a minute

Covid is over, isn't it? We can all go back to normal now. Hey I live in Florida and that's what our governor says!

[TeamProg]

6. Yes, no COVID in Florida, no pedophiles, no mob, no gays, no orange juice, no rising seas, either.

But the BEST Governor, EVER!

[Purrfessor]

23. And no rapists in Texas since Abbott promised to rid the state of them.

[lastlib]

19. Your guvnor says a lot of shit that ain't to be listened to......

...but you knew that. Just ignore the gurgling sound from his direction.

[milestogo]

3. Well that doesn't seem like a good name for something that occurred in nature.

If it were designed in a lab, that would be different.

[TeamProg]

8. I can see the QAnon types right now.. "new Covid's comin' from yer Iphone XE or, XR, or X!"

"One o' dem anyway anymore, Apple's President Xi is gonna kill ya!"

[SergeStorms]

28. And it's Joe Biden's fault!

But JFK Jr. is going to meet everyone in Dealey Plaza in Dallas on October 31, 2022 with the cure.

[Achilleaze]

24. #XE going viral

Hope not.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. I'm sure they meant to say "Frankenstein's Monster." Frankenstein, you see, was the ... NT

[IronLionZion]

7. COVID has evolved into a mad scientist

that's what it's come to with these mutations

[Auggie]

14. Thank you

[Wednesdays]

21. That's FrankenSTEEN.

[GB_RN]

36. And EYE-gore!

😂

[luvs2sing]

39. Wot 'ump?

[oldsoftie]

9. It is also not thought to be any more dangerous than the original Omicron

[E. Normus]

12. It seems

to me that if a virus becomes so deadly that it kills 100% of it's hosts, it too will eventually cease to exist. So to mutate to a less lethal version seems to make evolutionary sense. But hey, I'm not a scientist.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Rather a clickbait headline from The Daily Beast

and not really "news" - you posted about this yourself, 6 days ago: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216551927

"Frankenstein". Scaremongering.

[SCantiGOP]

17. Sensationalism

Headline is terrifying, then the actual statement says 'it does appear' that it might be 'a bit more' transmissible. BS.

[flying_wahini]

15. My worries it will involve lifetime infections that come and go like shingles & tertiary syphilis.

It won’t kill you, just disable you.

[GB_RN]

37. Tertiary Syphilis...

Raphael "Ted" sCruz-ball (R-Batshit Crazy) suffers from that, according to (a) rumor (I just started). 😂

[bucolic_frolic]

16. Grab your Sharpie and don't say 'Covid'

Problem solved?

[C Moon]

22. I agree, that's a terrible headline: Frankenstein was brought to life in a laboratory.

If they're looking for a monster, I think a werewolf would be more fitting.

[Joinfortmill]

25. The never-ending scourge

[Orrex]

26. Well, the important thing now is to reopen everything and make masks optional

[Ford_Prefect]

30. Here we go again...

[calimary]

31. Not good...

[Catherine Vincent]

32. Don't come to the USA

[NNadir]

33. I would be careful about getting my science from journalists.

They in general are as good with science as they are with concerns about Secretary Clinton's emails and other topics.

[DavidDvorkin]

34. "it does appear to have a bit more of an edge in terms of transmissibility"

That doesn't sound anywhere near as terrifying as what's in the headline.

[BradAllison]

38. Some people really get off on the fear.

The constant "THIS IS THE VARIANT" escalation is why people have had enough and will drop their guard

[DavidDvorkin]

40. Yes, that's the problem

The boy who cried wolf effect.