Photo: ANP / Vincent Jannink
A variant of the coronavirus with no less than 113 mutations has been discovered in Indonesia. According to researchers, it is the most mutated variant of the corona virus ever.
This variant, which has not yet been named, turned up in a hospital in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The variant was discovered in a patient’s smear. It is not entirely clear how the patient acquired so many mutations. This may be due to a long-term infection, as a result of which the patient has carried the virus with him for months.
Compromised immune system causes long-term infection
These types of infections mainly occur in people who have a compromised immune system, for example due to AIDS or chemotherapy. As a result, the body is less able to fight the corona virus, so that someone carries it with them for longer.
Although this is the most extreme variant of the coronavirus to date, it is not clear whether the variant can also spread quickly. According to Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, the new variant must first ‘beat’ other corona variants such as omikron to actually pose a threat.
New variant coronavirus ‘unusually mutated’
However, the new variant is ‘unusually mutated’. Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, argues against this Daily Mail. According to him, long-term infections increase the risk of mutations. “The concern about chronic infections is that the virus mutates in a person who has already generated immunity. In other words, the virus must have mutations that can escape that immunity,” he explains.
The professors state that new variants of the corona virus will continue to emerge. “This virus continues to surprise us,” says Professor Young. “As the virus spreads and continues to mutate, it will inevitably lead to severe infections in the most vulnerable people and will also increase the burden of the long-term consequences of the infection.”
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2023-07-30 11:01:33
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