I’m a firm believer that there are two sides of the story,
and that the truth generally lies somewhere in the middle. If you had a sibling, you probably recall
pointing fingers at each other and yelling “Mom! Kevin stole my cookie” (okay
that was me) but tattling on your sibling is like a right of passage. When the
tattling stops, that’s when things get interesting. My brother and I became
partners in crime, and I am proud to admit, only once did we get caught not
having our stories straight and that was early on in our partnership, so it was
to be expected!
The same can be said about everything that is published, reported
on, and shared via the social channels that so many of us have started
getting our information from. Case in point is a new study
that discusses the emergence of a more transmissible form of SARS-CoV-2. While it is being shared, it has not yet
undergone a peer review. Regardless, as
it is something new about COVID-19 that can be sensationalized, it has been
hitting mainstream news.
The researchers shared that they have found that SARS-CoV-2
can mutate into a more contagious strain.
Not only does the mutation cause the virus to be more contagious, but is
also might cause people who’ve already had COVID-19 suffer from a second bout
of the disease. Mutations and viruses
are not new. In fact, it is our concern
with viral mutations that create a heightened sense of panic and anxiety
throughout the infection prevention world, and now with COVID-19, in everyone’s
world. The SARS-CoV-2 strain in question
was first found in Europe back in February before it landed on the East Coast
of the US. This has been the main strain
around the world since mid-March and seems to have the capability to infect
more people than the original strains found in Wuhan, China.
The researchers analyzed more than 6,000 sequences from
around the world, and found 14 different mutations on the spike protein which
is the part of the virus that allows it to enter human respiratory cells. This
does not mean that this strain is more lethal.
The concern is that it may lead to the susceptibility of a second
infection for COVID-19 patients.
The question becomes whether the conclusions are sound, or
if they are making too large a leap. In an article published
by The Atlantic, Lisa Gralinski of the University of North Carolina stated
that the conclusions are overblown, cautioning readers that without testing to
verify if the new strain and/or any of the mutations are more transmissible can
be misleading. It’s not that the
conclusions are not plausible, but that further research is needed to support
the conclusion. The question is whether
there is one strain or more than one strain.
Additional experts interviewed by The Atlantic do not feel there is more
than one strain.
COVID-19 and the path it has been travelling since it
emerged in Wuhan, China is exciting and seductive to some. For others, it instills fear and anxiety. In
the wise words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “the only thing we have to fear is
fear itself. Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror paralyzes the needed
efforts to convert retreat into advance”.
Perhaps, the COVID-19 pandemic and the fear it is generating in many is
actually causing more disruption than the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself.
Bugging Off!
Nicole
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