New Corona Variant, that might be very dangerous, spreads in South Africa

[ClaireH]

In two weeks you will be seeing how effective our vaccines are against this new variant. And in about 3 or 4 weeks you will be seeing the real transmission rate relative to the delta variant. These two factors will determine the future course of the pandemic. What is disturbing about omicron variant is that there are 40, not 30 mutations of the spike protein which is critical for the virus to break into cells and is also critical to the effectiveness of vaccines as it is used by vaccines to identify the virus to the immune system.

Source please for 40 mutations.

“Researchers spotted B.1.1.529 in genome-sequencing data from Botswana. The variant stood out because it contains more than 30 changes to the spike protein — the SARS-CoV-2 protein that recognizes host cells and is the main target of the body’s immune responses.”
BTW, I am not trying to nitpick only sticking to facts. From my source and how it reads, there are “over 30” and if there were in fact 40 they would not have written it in that format.

Heavily mutated Omicron variant puts scientists on alert

Researchers are racing to determine whether a fast-spreading coronavirus variant poses a threat to COVID vaccines’ effectiveness.

www.nature.com

 

[Flopper]

Two weeks eh ? You know things that the government doesn't know or are you getting your information from the government ? Are you hopeful that in two weeks the citizen's will be attacked yet again in this country by a chain of virus mutations that the Chinese released upon the world, otherwise just to get at those you hate ?? Why don't you change your stance, and start calling for your current government to protect you by investigating why all this has become a series of problems for our people and economies here now ? You just sounded giddy in this post you wrote.

Yes, about two weeks. It was in news a few days ago so we should know in about 10 days how effective the current vaccines are. It seems likely that after 40 mutations of spike protein, we are going to need updates to all the vaccines if the transmission rate is as high as has been reported. That too, we will know soon.

 

[ClaireH]

Yes, about two weeks. It was in news a few days ago so we should know in about 10 days how effective the current vaccines are. It seems likely that after 40 mutations of spike protein, we are going to need updates to all the vaccines if the transmission rate is as high as has been reported. That too, we will know soon.

Flopper can you please share the source on the 40 mutations? This is the second time I’ve asked thanks. I can’t find anything about it in print. Or maybe you have me on ignore and you don’t see my question perhaps another poster can ask Mr. Flopper for me? Tx

 

[Flopper]

Source please for 40 mutations.

“Researchers spotted B.1.1.529 in genome-sequencing data from Botswana. The variant stood out because it contains more than 30 changes to the spike protein — the SARS-CoV-2 protein that recognizes host cells and is the main target of the body’s immune responses.”
BTW, I am not trying to nitpick only sticking to facts. From my source and how it reads, there are “over 30” and if there were in fact 40 they would not have written it in that format.

Heavily mutated Omicron variant puts scientists on alert

Researchers are racing to determine whether a fast-spreading coronavirus variant poses a threat to COVID vaccines’ effectiveness.

www.nature.com

The coronavirus family are viruses are prone to high rates of mutation. There have probably been far more than the numbers reported as most of them are insignificant and never observed. The number also depends on the baseline for counting them. "The extreme examples in terms of number of mutations, of variants such as B.1.1.7, accumulated closer to 40 mutations compared to the first strains isolated."

The total number and mass of SARS-CoV-2 virions

Knowing the absolute numbers of virions in an infection promotes better understanding of disease dynamics and response of the immune system. Here we use current knowledge on the concentrations of virions in infected individuals to estimate the total number and mass of SARS-CoV-2 virions in an...

www.pnas.org

 

[badger2]

As if you would understand the changes the spike protein has undergone....

As is the analysis of Omicron mutations are not yielding anything of value. Your arrogance will be getting crucified at position 969 of the Omicron spike, as we are already showing on another thread.

 

[badger2]

Flopper can you please share the source on the 40 mutations? This is the second time I’ve asked thanks. I can’t find anything about it in print. Or maybe you have me on ignore and you don’t see my question perhaps another poster can ask Mr. Flopper for me? Tx

There are 34 Omicron spike mutations and we have already provided a link on the Biological Politics thread.

 

[ClaireH]

There are 34 Omicron spike mutations and we have already provided a link on the Biological Politics thread.

Thank you for your confirmation badger. I can stop scouring the net for “40 changes”.

 

[ClaireH]

The coronavirus family are viruses are prone to high rates of mutation. There have probably been far more than the numbers reported as most of them are insignificant and never observed. The number also depends on the baseline for counting them. "The extreme examples in terms of number of mutations, of variants such as B.1.1.7, accumulated closer to 40 mutations compared to the first strains isolated."

The total number and mass of SARS-CoV-2 virions

Knowing the absolute numbers of virions in an infection promotes better understanding of disease dynamics and response of the immune system. Here we use current knowledge on the concentrations of virions in infected individuals to estimate the total number and mass of SARS-CoV-2 virions in an...

www.pnas.org

Thank you for the source. From your source:
“This estimated rate of evolution matches the number of mutations observed in variants present today, about a year after the onset of the pandemic, most of which contain about 20 to 30 mutations. The extreme examples in terms of number of mutations, of variants such as B.1.1.7, accumulated closer to 40 mutations compared to the first strains isolated.”

Are the 40 mutations confirmed or an estimated rate? Thanks.

 

[Bleipriester]

As is the analysis of Omicron mutations are not yielding anything of value. Your arrogance will be getting crucified at position 969 of the Omicron spike, as we are already showing on another thread.

At first it is 40, now it is 34 mutations. Your thread is probably just an I know everything thread. The mutations are part of the news, that is all. There is no arrogance, unless you show up.

 

[Devils_Advocate]

Yep. Like I said, air travel bans will slow Omicron down for only half a minute.

To wit:

UK, Germany and Italy detect Omicron variant cases, Israel closes borders

Britain, Germany and Italy detected cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant on Saturday and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new steps to contain the virus, while more nations imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa.

www.reuters.com

No one yet knows if the Trump Vaccine will stop Omicron.

Now it is Trump vaccine…

Otay…

Anyhoo, what are the plans to stop this new wave of virus?

 

[badger2]

At first it is 40, now it is 34 mutations. Your thread is probably just an I know everything thread. The mutations are part of the news, that is all. There is no arrogance, unless you show up.

Don’t read badger’s threads.

 

[Bleipriester]

Don’t read badger’s threads.

Who is that badger? And how many mutations does that badger2 have?

 

[Circe]

Flopper can you please share the source on the 40 mutations? This is the second time I’ve asked thanks. I can’t find anything about it in print. Or maybe you have me on ignore and you don’t see my question perhaps another poster can ask Mr. Flopper for me? Tx

I've seen 11 mutations all the way to 50 mutations in various articles about Omicron.

IMO they have no clue ------

And anyway it doesn't matter at all. What matters is whether it makes us very sick.

 

[badger2]

I've seen 11 mutations all the way to 50 mutations in various articles about Omicron.

IMO they have no clue ------

And anyway it doesn't matter at all. What matters is whether it makes us very sick.

You are being duped. To keep the sensationalism fear-mongering going, they are adding mutations in the non-spike regions of the genome. The difference between the more and the less is a false problem until the virus infects the host. The spike is the most important.

 

[ClaireH]

I've seen 11 mutations all the way to 50 mutations in various articles about Omicron.

IMO they have no clue ------

And anyway it doesn't matter at all. What matters is whether it makes us very sick.

I can relate to that bigger picture point of view you have Circe, and that’s normally where my mind is as well. This past week a few posters have made statements about the virus without providing a source. If interested, I ask.

 

[B. Kidd]

I've seen 11 mutations all the way to 50 mutations in various articles about Omicron.

IMO they have no clue ------

And anyway it doesn't matter at all. What matters is whether it makes us very sick.

So far, only my nuts ache!
But I can still smell and taste.

 

[boedicca]

There have been over 13,000 mutations to the Covid corona virus. That's what viruses do: mutate. This is no big deal and why we have immune systems


"A mutation just means a difference; a letter change in the genome. While the Sars-CoV-2 population was genetically essentially invariant when it jumped into its first human host in late 2019, over 13,000 of these changes are now found in the 100,000 Sars-CoV-2 sequenced to date. Yet any two viruses from any two patients anywhere in the world differ on average by only ten letters. This is a tiny fraction of the total 30,000 characters in the virus’s genetic code and means that all Sars-CoV-2 in circulation can be considered part of a single clonal lineage."

Coronavirus mutations: what we’ve learned so far

…and why Professor Chris Whitty is right.

theconversation.com

 

[B. Kidd]

There have been over 13,000 mutations to the Covid corona virus. That's what viruses do: mutate. This is no big deal and why we have immune systems


"A mutation just means a difference; a letter change in the genome. While the Sars-CoV-2 population was genetically essentially invariant when it jumped into its first human host in late 2019, over 13,000 of these changes are now found in the 100,000 Sars-CoV-2 sequenced to date. Yet any two viruses from any two patients anywhere in the world differ on average by only ten letters. This is a tiny fraction of the total 30,000 characters in the virus’s genetic code and means that all Sars-CoV-2 in circulation can be considered part of a single clonal lineage."

Coronavirus mutations: what we’ve learned so far

…and why Professor Chris Whitty is right.

theconversation.com

They mutate out of existence. Poor Dimm's.

 

[Gracie]

 

[badger2]

We can look at this sucker, Omicron, and see that it may be going nuts figuring out what to do. It may not know whether to add or to delete things. The media seems to be picking up on this and (adds [italics]]) to the Scare List, mutations that are not even on the spike. Yet on the spike, Omicron has (added [italics]) an insertion and three deletions accompanying the old Delta deletions.