Covid-19 has a low mortality (1-3% approx) but high morbidity while MERS-CoV has a higher mortality (35-37 % approx) but lower morbidity. The two coronavirus are closely related.
Covid-19 outbreak is predicted to massively expand among the Gulf Countries human population, MERS-CoV is regularly occurring among the human population of Gulf Countries and is endemic among his carrier: the dromedary camel in all countries of Arabian peninsula/Middle East.
Have we reasons to be very worried?
Hypothesis versus Reality
A hybrid virus containing material from SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV is only a hypothetical possibility. However, chimeric action of SARS and Influenza virus protein has been shown to protect mice against SARS-CoV-2.
Article Chimeric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS...
Thank you for your reply Dr Yousuf. According to Worldometers today 14/05/2020 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has 27,535 active cases of Covid-19. In March there were 15 cases of MERS-CoV in KSA. With the outbreak of Covid-19 expanding and the continuation of MERS outbreak is just a matter of time before somebody will be infected contemporaneously with both Covid-19 and MERS.
When this happen the hypothetical possibility of a new hybrid virus containing material from SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV will be frightening less hypothetical that I would like.
This hypothesis depends on possible hybridization of both the viruses which might be a possibility. However, this event can happen as just a random occurrence and this is a speculation only.
Piergiorgio Neri thank you for your reply. MERS outbreak is ongoing in KSA and other Gulf Countries with no signs of disappearing at the same time COVID-19 outbreak is ever increasing. It is not IF is WHEN there will be a human patient with both MERS and Covid-19.
COVID-19 has already proven to be capable of considerable plasticity and has been able to infect (with symptoms) several other species such as cats, tigers etc. While MERS-COVID-19 hybridization is obviously a speculation the randomness of such event happening is unpleasantly diminishing.
In my humble opinion it should make sense to develop a vaccine for MERS (known) carrier: the dromedary. By immunizing dromedaries against MERS the outbreak among humans could be controlled/eliminated and the hypothetical possibility of a MERS-COVID-19 hybridization kept firmly in the realm of hypothesis.
My hypothesis could be closer to reality:
"Australian study warns that the RNA strand in the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has a high affinity for recombining with pieces of other RNA strands from the host or even other viruses"
https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/213/1/emerging-viral-mutants-australia-suggest-rna-recombination-event-sars-cov-2
More than that, I always consider the possibility of coinfections. This maybe possible in the Middle East, where now there are cases of MERS and SARS-CoV-2, then coinfections between both, maybe are possible.
As I predicted patients are beginning to be found in KSA with simultaneous SARS-CoV-2 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV):
Article Severe Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and M...
An insufficient control of COVID-19 in the Arabian countries means that, by a statistical probability, is just a matter of time before (thanks to MERS) a COVID-19 variant emerges with increased virulence and partial/total immunity to the existing vaccines.
Unfortunately my 2020 concern (dismissed by many) that SARS-CoV-2 could recombine with other coronaviruses evolving in a more serious virus seems to have been proven correct: Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 harbors a unique insertion mutation of putative viral or human genomic origin (https://osf.io/f7txy/)
SARS-CoV-2 variant with MERS-CoV elements increasing the virus mortality (or creating a MERS-CoV with much increased morbidity while retaining his high rate of mortality) just behind the corner ?