NeoCov: This COVID-19 Variant Has High Mortality Rate, Says Report; Here's All You Need to Know

Even as the whole world is worried about Corona virus (COVID-19) and it’s different variants, another new virus seems to have originated which has left scientists worried.

Researchers from Wuhan University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Biophysics have found it to be more dangerous than Corona. It is important to note that in November 2019, the first case of corona was reported from Wuhan itself. The new virus, NeoCov has been found in South Africa. It is being said that one out of every 3 infected people are dying and it also spreads very fast. COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Bharat Biotech Gets DCGI Approval For Intranasal Booster Dose Trials

According to Russian news agency Sputnik, NeoCov is not a new virus. It is associated with the MERS-CoV virus which was first discovered in the Middle Eastern countries in the year 2012 and 2015. It is a strain of coronavirus like SARS-CoV-2, due to which the corona virus spreads in humans.

According to reports, currently parts of this virus has only been found to impact bats. At present it is spreading only among these animals. But scientists have warned that it can also spread to humans. A new study published on the BioRxiv website has shown that there is a possibility of NeoCoV and its close relative PDF-2180-CoV infecting humans.

According to researchers from Wuhan University and the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, only one mutation is needed for the virus to infiltrate human cells. The research findings state that the novel coronavirus poses a risk because it binds to the ACE2 receptor differently from the coronavirus pathogen. Therefore, neither antibodies nor people with respiratory disease will be able to avoid NeoCoV.  After Pfizer, Moderna Starts Trial of Omicron-Specific COVID-19 Vaccine

According to the Chinese researchers, it is very dangerous. One out of every 3 infected with NeoCoV is dying. It has also been said that it spreads faster than COVID-19. While the paper is yet to be peer-reviewed, the findings have been noted by the Russian State Virology and Biotechnology Research Center, which said in a statement last week that findings needed further research.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2022 02:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).