The new strain of the coronavirus has been detected in eight European countries, the regional director of WHO Europe said, adding that World Health Organisation (WHO) is continuing to monitor the situation.
The new variant of coronavirus named “VUI 202012/01” includes a genetic mutation in the “spike” protein that could be the cause of immediate and easy spread of the virus amongst people. This means, the variant that’s been identified in the south-east of England has 17 mutations that affect the shape of the virus, including the spike protein that gives the coronavirus family their name. While nothing further has been confirmed, scientists have suggested that this new strain could be the reason behind the faster spread of the virus.
It probably is the same organism with a slight change in the nature of the spike protein, which has led to a new variant of the virus and thus a huge hue and cry all over the world. The mutation could be the reason for the faster nature of the spread of the virus among the countries where it has been found, whether it is more fatal or not is still not known.
According to WHO, A novel coronavirus (CoV) is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans.
