The Covid-19 virus continues to mutate, and experts believe it may be becoming more contagious as US coronavirus cases begin to rise.
The new US study (via Guardian) analyzed 5,000 genetic sequences of the virus, which has continued to evolve as it has spread to the population. The study failed to find that the mutations made the virus more deadly or altered its effects. Twenty states have experienced over 5% increases in their Covid-19 cases over the past two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
At the end of March, according to a report published in the Washington Post, the virus was not mutating. According to experts who study in detail the genetic code of the new pathogen, when the coronavirus does not mutate, that is, does not become more dangerous or less dangerous, it is good news for the scientists who are trying to create the vaccine.
David Morens, a virologist at the American National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Guardian that the virus could continue to spread even after a vaccine became available, meaning the vaccine would have to be changed - just like the flu vaccine is changed every year.
