Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Why the New Covid-19 Variants Could Be More Infectious
WSJ explains increased infectiousness of new strains
Link to tweet
HEALTH
Why the New Covid-19 Variants Could Be More Infectious
Mutations in the virus’s appendage have created potentially more infectious versions of the pathogen, including one currently circulating around the world
By Daniela Hernandez and Alberto Cervantes
https://twitter.com/danielas_bot
daniela.hernandez@wsj.com
https://twitter.com/acervantesc
alberto.cervantes@wsj.com
Jan. 16, 2021 8:05 am ET
As viruses replicate, they change, or mutate. Some mutations give these viral variants an edge, such as being better able to latch on to and infect human cells. That’s what scientists think happened with the coronavirus variant that swept through the U.K. recently and which is now showing up in states across the U.S.
Mutations can also make a viral pathogen stealthier, or better at evading the body’s immune system. That’s what some scientists find worrisome about another mutation seen in the variants that emerged recently in South Africa and Brazil.
Key mutations in these variants affect the coronavirus’s spike protein, which studs the surfaces of coronavirus particles. It’s the spike protein that helps the virus enter cells and infect people.
{snip}
Why the New Covid-19 Variants Could Be More Infectious
Mutations in the virus’s appendage have created potentially more infectious versions of the pathogen, including one currently circulating around the world
By Daniela Hernandez and Alberto Cervantes
https://twitter.com/danielas_bot
daniela.hernandez@wsj.com
https://twitter.com/acervantesc
alberto.cervantes@wsj.com
Jan. 16, 2021 8:05 am ET
As viruses replicate, they change, or mutate. Some mutations give these viral variants an edge, such as being better able to latch on to and infect human cells. That’s what scientists think happened with the coronavirus variant that swept through the U.K. recently and which is now showing up in states across the U.S.
Mutations can also make a viral pathogen stealthier, or better at evading the body’s immune system. That’s what some scientists find worrisome about another mutation seen in the variants that emerged recently in South Africa and Brazil.
Key mutations in these variants affect the coronavirus’s spike protein, which studs the surfaces of coronavirus particles. It’s the spike protein that helps the virus enter cells and infect people.
{snip}