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The Covid-19 virus continues to mutate over the course of the pandemic, and experts believe it is likely becoming more contagious, as coronavirus cases in the US have started to rise once again, according to new research. .
The new US study analyzed 5,000 genetic sequences of the virus, which has continued to mutate as it spreads through the population. The study did not find that mutations in the virus made it more deadly or changed its effects, even as it may be increasingly easy to detect, according to a Washington Post report, which noted that public health experts acknowledge that all viruses have mutations. , most of which are insignificant.
David Morens, a virologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the new study should not be over-interpreted, but added that the virus could be responding to public health interventions such as social distancing.
“All of those things are barriers to transmissibility or contagion, but as the virus becomes more contagious, statistically it’s better to get around those barriers,” he said.
Morens pointed out that this could mean that the virus could continue to mutate even after a vaccine is available, meaning that the vaccine will have to be modified, just like the flu vaccine is modified every year.
Twenty states have seen a more than 5% increase in their Covid-19 cases over the past two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The United States saw 38,204 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases seen in the country to nearly 6.9 million. The country surpassed 200,000 deaths from coronavirus on Tuesday and recorded between 300 and 1,000 deaths a day.
The United States continues to lead as the country with the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths.
The latest increase in cases has been mainly concentrated in the West and Midwest, where states such as Colorado, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Montana are seeing an increase. Texas, which saw a big spike in cases over the summer, has seen a notable spike in cases in recent days, reporting more than 11,000 new cases Monday.
Public health experts say it’s too early to say whether the surge in cases is a brief spike in the wake of the Labor Day holiday gatherings in early September or the start of an uptrend as the weather begins. to cool in many regions and people. head in. Experts have warned that both events, in addition to the reopening of K-12 schools and college campuses, could lead to an increase in cases.
In a hearing before Congress on Wednesday, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), emphasized data showing that young Americans have been driving the increase in cases. According to Redfield, people ages 18 to 25 have accounted for 26% of new coronavirus cases, the largest of any age group.
Redfield also said that more than 90% of the American population remains susceptible to Covid-19, squashing any belief about the development of generalized immunity.
