John Chuckman
COMMENT - TWO DISTURBING DISCOVERIES ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS
Two new studies reveal disturbing characteristics of the coronavirus.
First, a study from Switzerland reveals how unlike colds or flu COVID-19 is.
Autopsies showed that the virus attacks blood vessels and causes multiple major organ failures in patients.
Second, Chinese scientists discovered that there are not just a few, but dozens, of virus mutations. It mutates rapidly.
The mutations affect deadliness, with the most aggressive strain having a “virus load” (the amount of virus per volume of body fluid) 270 times greater than the least potent.
The most potent strain is the one which came from Europe to infect New York. America’s West Coast is infected by a less deadly strain which came from China.
Rapid mutation of the virus is not encouraging for creating a universal vaccine, rapid mutation being the reason we have not developed a universal vaccine for the common cold or flu.
There are many things we still do not understand about the virus, including, importantly, whether a “cured” patient can be re-infected.
