It has been 6 months since the first case of the emerging SARS Cove 2 virus that causes Covid-19 disease was recorded in China. Scientists set out on a journey to unlock the mysteries of the virus, and they partially succeeded, but mysterious things still remain.
We present here 6 mysterious matters that are still a matter of debate among scholars without being resolved yet:
1- "Heroes of spread" is the source of infection
Initially it was believed that every person infected with the virus could transmit the infection from one person to three. But the results of tracking the spread of infection in endemic areas in many countries surprised doctors, because it revealed that not everyone is a source of infection, but only those who have been called "Superspreader" by the media.
But why are these people spreading the infection more than others? The answer to this question has not been found by doctors yet. Until the cover reveals this scientific mystery, experts stress the need to freeze all activities with a heavy human presence such as football matches, concerts, and others.
2- Children are the puzzling element
The first thing that doctors observed when the Corona epidemic occurred is that infecting children is rare compared to adults. There were fears that the children were the carriers of the infection, especially to grandmothers and grandparents.
Today, it does not seem that doctors have come to definitive knowledge about children, as the amount of viruses that have been monitored is equal to that recorded in adults. It is not yet known whether children will develop immunity to the virus if they contract it, and the extent of this development?
However, recent studies under the auspices of the epidemiology department of the Charette Hospital in Berlin have shown that children under 12 years of age are less susceptible to infection, and very rarely pass the infection on to adults. In light of these results, many German states decided to open the doors of primary schools to receive students in recent weeks, before the start of the summer vacation.
3- Various symptoms
About 80% of new HIV infections occur safely and with mild to moderate symptoms. There are cases of infection whose owners did not feel anything at all, but the rest of the cases suffer serious symptoms that can end in failure of the organs such as the heart, lungs or kidneys, and thus death, and that the virus may also attack the extremities, brain, nose, throat and intestine.
The most common cases are acute pneumonia, while in Spain a large proportion of symptoms of nervous system damage have been reported. And patients usually need at least 4 weeks to recover. As for the long-term or permanent diseases and symptoms caused by the disease, doctors are still wary of mentioning details in this regard because clinical studies on this cannot be completed yet due to the relatively short period of the virus’s history.
4- The virus has mutated
A genetic mutation of the Corona virus, which greatly increases its ability to infect cells, may explain the spread of the disease in northern Italy and New York more broadly than was observed earlier during the pandemic.
Scientists at the Scripps Research Center in Florida say that the mutated virus was seldom observed in March, but it was noticeable in about 65% of cases where the gene bank database at the National Institutes of Health in America was notified of it from around the world.
The researchers participating in the study concluded that this mutation, dubbed "D614G", increased the number of spurs that the virus uses to attach to cells and penetrate them, and make these protrusions more stable. In laboratory experiments, the mutated virus was about 9 times more efficient at penetrating cells and infecting them.
5- Does the virus lose its potency in some seasons?
While the Corona virus continues to spread, it is noticed that the spread of this epidemic has decreased somewhat compared to its first appearance in China. Will it disappear with the arrival of the summer season just as a regular seasonal flu?
Three months later, the general decline in infections recorded in Europe at the end of the spring brings back to the fore the assumption that the emerging SK virus is "seasonal".
But this hypothesis is difficult to verify, infectious disease specialist Pierre Tatvan told the newspaper, "Deutsche Welle", in which he said, "The insulation was complete when the temperatures and sunlight were rising in France and Europe," and therefore it is difficult to distinguish between the impact of seasons and the effects of isolation on the current slowdown. For the epidemic.
The doctor added that "there are several criteria that must be taken into consideration, and therefore we do not know what is related to the climate or the season or the awakening of people."
A study prepared by researchers from Princeton University in the US published last May in the "Science" magazine concluded that the climate had a secondary effect on the virus's outbreak when it first appeared. "The virus is spreading quickly, whatever the weather," said study lead author Rachel Baker.
6- What if we do not find a vaccine or a cure for Corona?
There is a high probability that an effective vaccine for Coronavirus will not emerge. In a report published by the British newspaper "The Independent", the authors Heather Cat and Urbana Verma said that no effective treatment has yet been reached for the Covid-19 يروس virus, so that the initial results of the clinical trials of the reused drugs were disappointing.
Although some anti-retroviral drugs were declared in some countries as being effective, their efficacy was limited, as they reduced the duration of the disease by about 30%, but had no definite effect on preventing death.
A recent clinical trial on blood plasma used in the treatment of patients with corona-threatening death due to their serious conditions also found that it did not help patients improve faster compared to the primary treatment.
There are still many obstacles to be overcome before an effective vaccine that provides permanent immunity is discovered and can be sent to billions of people worldwide.
Therefore, we must prepare for the possibility of no vaccine or safe and effective treatment. We may simply have to learn to cope with the Corona virus. But what will this life look like?
In fact, the world is likely to experience peak and lower periods at some point in infection, along with a seasonal pattern and localized outbreaks that require a more accurate response than the current response to nationwide closings.
To date, the global HIV infection count has exceeded 8 million, and this indicates that the vast majority of people have not been infected with it, that is, we are far from achieving the so-called herd immunity.
In other words, herd immunity requires about 60% of the world’s 7.58 billion population, or 4.55 billion people. But for now, scientists are still not sure how long this immunity will last.
Other repercussions
Failure to discover a vaccine or treatment may lead to consequences such as disrupting other public health interventions, such as vaccinating children, which may cause outbreaks of other infectious diseases. Concerns have already been raised about the high number of cases of suffocation, cholera, measles and polio.
Corona virus outbreaks may also delay treatment for non-communicable diseases, leading to long-term health deterioration and early death, as many countries have seen a decrease in the number of people going to hospital in emergency situations, such as heart attacks and stroke.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment may continue to be delayed, as doctors try to balance the risk of late treatment with reducing the number of Covid-19 infections during treatment.
Also, according to the two writers, if it is possible to measure the outbreak of the SARS virus, we are likely to witness a massive increase in mental health disorders as a result of the "Covid-19" outbreak. The authors of a 4-year follow-up study describe SARS survivors as a mental health disaster and biological catastrophe that has effects similar to other major disasters.
Survivors of the SARS outbreak experienced high levels of mental illness and PTSD due to a combination of factors, including long periods of isolation from family and friends, extreme uncertainty, and a sense of threat to their lives during their illness.