A mutant coronavirus has emerged, even more contagious than the original, study says

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21. This is a most important article.

Even if the new strain is no more dangerous than the others, it could still complicate efforts to bring the pandemic under control. That would be an issue if the mutation makes the virus so different from earlier strains that people who have immunity to them would not be immune to the new version.

If that is indeed the case, it could make "individuals susceptible to a second infection," the study authors wrote.

It’s possible that the mutation changes the spike in some way that helps the virus evade the immune system, said Montefiori, who has worked on an HIV vaccine for 30 years. “It is hypothetical. We are looking at it very hard.”

This could possibly explain those rare, reported cases of individuals who've "recovered" from COVID-19 and tested negative being reinfected and testing positive again.