Is it possible that the new Corona virus "SARS Cove 2, responsible for the outbreak of the Covid-19 disease epidemic around the world, has undergone transformations that made it more spreadable, but less dangerous?"

Writer Jan Verdu says in a report published in the French newspaper "Les Echos" that three of the most prominent scientific journals in the world interested in studying the genetic mutations that affect the spike protein that this virus uses to enter human cells, the answers were yes.

The writer said that these developments represent positive news in the fight against Covid-19.

According to some studies, the Corona virus has been exposed to a genetic mutation that made it more contagious, but at the same time it lost its lethal effects.

The writer adds that at least three scientific studies, including one published in the refereed "Cell" magazine on July 3, all came out with this promising conclusion announced by Paul Tempia, president of the International Society of Infectious Diseases.

This study, published in the journal Cell, along with two scientific journals on June 12 and July 6, is based on a mutation referred to by the code "D614G", which has abounded in recent months and has become the dominant feature throughout the world.

It is noticeable that before the date of last March 1, this mutation called D614G was present in only 10% of the genetic mutations that the virus underwent when it was monitored by researchers.

Genetic mutations

But starting that month, this mutation was present in 78% of genetic mutations.

This mutation is considered very important because it affected the gene called Spike, and the protein of the same name, which is responsible for the concentration of the virus inside the "ACE-2" receptor in human cells.

The author confirms that these transformations made the Corona virus able to spread intensively and locate inside cells, which led to a clear increase in the pattern of infection, but at the same time it reduced its pathological symptoms, that is, its ability to affect the human body. In clearer terms, this means that the virus is spreading faster, but causing less damage.

Strange numbers

According to Professor Patrick Birch, a member of the French Academy of Medicine and former director of the Pasteur Institute in Lille, this mutation called D614G, and its strange spread among the viral samples examined, could explain the relatively strange numbers that were recorded in recent weeks in France, as The numbers of injured people witnessed a significant increase, and on the other hand, the number of those admitted to the hospital or lying in the resuscitation department did not witness any significant increase. Whereas, the number of French who receive intensive care on 19 August reached almost 374, after it was more than 7 thousand at the height of the epidemic.

But Dr. Patrick warns that caution should continue to be exercised, despite signs of the virus's severity diminishing. As this explanation, which is based on the hypothesis that a genetic mutation has occurred, remains only a hypothesis. There is another explanation for this phenomenon is that the virus is now spreading among young age groups that have the ability to confront it.

Lower death rates

Paul Tampia, a senior consultant at the National University of Singapore and president-elect of the International Society of Infectious Diseases, said in a statement to Reuters a few days ago that evidence indicates that the spread of the D614G mutation in parts of the world coincided with a decrease in death rates, which suggests that this mutation is less fatal.

"Perhaps having a virus that is more contagious but less lethal is a good thing," he added. He added that most viruses usually become less lethal as they mutate.

He continued, "It is in the interest of the virus to infect more people, not kill them, because the virus depends on the host for food and shelter."

The World Health Organization said that scientists discovered this mutation in February as it spread to Europe and the Americas. She added that there is no evidence that the mutation led to a more serious disease.

And the Director-General of the Malaysian Ministry of Health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, had called on the public - several days ago - to exercise greater caution after the authorities had recently spotted what they believed to be the new boom.

This mutation has been detected in Singapore as well, but containment measures have prevented it from spreading significantly, said Sebastian Maurer Stroh of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore.

Noor Hisham said that the infection of the D614G strain that was detected in Malaysia is 10 times more than it was before the mutation, and that the vaccines currently being developed may not be effective with this mutation.

But Tampia and Morer-Stroh said that such mutations would likely not alter the virus to the extent that it would make potential vaccines less effective.