What is known about the new strain of COVID-19 from Brazil

Recently, we are increasingly seeing headlines in the newsfeed: “New strain of coronavirus discovered.” However, few people fully understand what this means and how it threatens humanity. Therefore, the editorial board "Site" We will tell you what we know at the moment about new strains of coronavirus and what scientists fear.



In a global pandemic, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19 disease, continues to mutate. This means that the properties of the virus are constantly changing. And new strains may well pose a greater threat than before. For example, an “enhanced” virus can spread more easily from person to person or cause more severe symptoms. Cases of re-infection have already been described in which the recovered person became ill again after encountering a different version of the same infection. So what strains of the virus are known to scientists at the moment and how dangerous are they?



What strains of coronavirus exist? There's nothing. 7 major strains A coronavirus that affects humans. They are indicated by the letters GR, G, GH, O, S, L and V. It all started with a strain of L, which was discovered in the Chinese Wuhan in December 2019. But now it is gradually disappearing. The remaining strains are distributed throughout the world heterogeneously: on each continent, as a rule, no more than two main variations are most common.



The first mutated virus was discovered in the UK in December 2020. It was more contagious (50-74%) than the usual SARS-CoV-2. According to authorities, it has been actively distributed since mid-November, but could appear as early as September. The British strain has since been identified in more than 40 countries.



Later, previously unknown mutations of the virus were also reported in Nigeria, South Africa and Japan. And the other day it became known about a new Brazilian. Britain, followed by Italy, banned flights from Brazil to prevent the introduction of a new strain of coronavirus.

Brazilian doctors fear that the newly discovered mutated virus could push the country into a real disaster. This is because Brazil already ranks 3rd in the world in terms of both the number of coronavirus cases and the number of those who could not cope with it. Against the background of a sharp jump in the number of patients in hospitals in some cities, there were no free beds, ventilators, or oxygen masks.



However, the WHO said that in the future we will identify everything. new mutations all over the world. However, most of the mutants already identified did not significantly affect the coronavirus itself in terms of its rate of transmission or the severity of the infection.



Unfortunately, this is newsletter and predictions. In this difficult time, we wish you good health, inexhaustible optimism and patience!

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