COVID-19 Case Estimations From SARS-CoV-2 Genome Mutations

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A new study published in Nature Communications reconstructs regional incidence profiles of COVID-19, highlighting the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) and different testing strategies. Daily counts of new COVID-19 cases remain a basis for evaluating the state of the pandemic and are vital for making informed decisions on public interventions. These case counts, however, are based on positive diagnostic test results and are […]

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Scientists develop new strategy that rapidly quantifies transmissibility of COVID-19 variants

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A team of researchers has developed a new nanomechanical technique for fast, one-step, immune-affinity tests, which can quantify the immune response induced by different COVID-19 variants in serum. Their technique provides a new tool for tracking infection immunity over time and for analysing new vaccine candidates. Led by Professor Martin Hegner, Principal Investigator in the Trinity Centre for Research on […]

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Mu variant of covid-19 (B.1.621)

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The coronavirus variant B.1.621, first identified in Colombia The B.1.621 or “mu” variant is a form of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that was first identified in Colombia in January 2021. Outbreaks of the ‘mu’ variant have also been recorded in some other countries in South America and Europe. The World Health Organization designated B.1.621 a variant of interest in August 2021. According to the […]

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Delta Variant Is 60% More Contagious Than Original COVID Virus and Can Escape Immunity

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The Delta variant is more contagious than original SARS-CoV-2 and better able to escape prior immunity, according to modeling studies of coronavirus variants. Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health used a computer model to estimate that the Delta variant is around 60 percent more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and can escape immunity from prior infection roughly half of the […]

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Scientists Discover Opportunity To Disrupt SARS-CoV-2 Dynamics, Prevent COVID-19 Transmission

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A structural model of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as the virus fuses with host human cells reveals an opportunity to disrupt dynamics and halt transmission. Scientists have simulated the transition of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein structure from when it recognizes the host cell to when it gains entry, according to a study published on August 31, 2021, in eLife. The research shows that […]

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WHO monitoring ‘mu’ variant in Colombia and Ecuador

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Mu variant identified in Colombia may be more resistant to vaccines A new coronavirus variant, named mu, has been designated a variant of interest by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Mu, or B.1.621, was first identified in Colombia and cases have been recorded in South America and Europe. The WHO’s weekly bulletin on the pandemic said the variant has mutations indicating “potential […]

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Hidden SARS-CoV-2 “Gate” Discovered – Opens To Allow COVID Infection

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Supercomputing-derived movies reveal details of deceptive sugar coating on spike protein, presenting new possibilities to block cell entry and infection. Since the early days of the COVID pandemic, scientists have aggressively pursued the secrets of the mechanisms that allow severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to enter and infect healthy human cells. Early in the pandemic, University of California […]

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Novel coronavirus discovered in British bats

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A coronavirus related to the virus that causes Covid-19 in humans has been found in UK horseshoe bats, according to new collaborative research from the University of East Anglia, ZSL (Zoological Society of London), and Public Health England (PHE). However, there is no evidence that this novel virus has been transmitted to humans, or that it could in future, unless […]

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