Scientists have discovered a new mutation in the coronavirus that indicates it is on the path to debility. This is similar to the change in the SARS virus in 2003, which represents a change in the spread of the epidemic, experts said.
In one of the samples taken from research supervised by the American State University of Arizona, scientists discovered that 81 genes had mutated - a pattern that also emerged during the outbreak of the SARS virus.
The research team at the university said that the new mutation may mean that the virus has become less able to bypass the immune system in the body.
The team took 382 coronavirus patients in the state and found that one of the viral specimens missed a large portion of the genetic material for this virus. It is similar to what happened with the original SARS virus that caused the 2003 pandemic, which made the infection weaker, and this was an indication that the SARS had begun to subside.
While only one patient has been found in Arizona to have this new mutation, researchers say if the genome sequences of the virus become more common, more such a case may arise.
The author of the study says that "a very new development" could push scientists in the right direction when it comes to developing a vaccine for this virus.
The study also made comparisons with HIV - a virus that is constantly changing, releasing billions of copies in a single day.
But research indicates that Covid-19 is more "reliable" than HIV - giving scientists a greater chance to develop a vaccine to defeat it. Scientists believe that the SARS virus has "evolved to become more and here in the late stage of the epidemic." This means that SARS has changed and become weaker over time.
However, the author of the paper admits that the sample "only means the beginning" when it comes to the different sequences of the virus.
He said that if more coronavirus genomes sequence, scientists may discover more weaker genome states.