Evolution of enhanced innate immune evasion by the #SARSCoV2 #coronavirus. "Importance of mutations outside Spike in adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 to humans is underscored by the observation that similar mutations exist in the #Delta & #Omicron N/Orf9b regulatory regions." Abstract Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) suggests viral adaptation to enhance human-to-human transmission1,2. Although much effort has focused on characterisation of spike changes in VOCs, mut

Risk of reinfection with #OmicronVariant is >5 times higher & it has shown no sign of being milder than #Delta, a UK study showed. Study estimates vaccine effectiveness of 0% - 20% after 2 doses, & 55% - 80% after a booster dose of AstraZeneca or Pfizer. The risk of reinfection with the Omicron coronavirus variant is more than five times higher and it has shown no sign of being milder than Delta, a study showed, as cases soar across Europe and threaten year-end festivities. T

The #DeltaVariant may account for 90% of #COVID19 cases in European Union by end of August. "This could cause a risk for vulnerable individuals to have severe illness & death if they are not fully vaccinated.“ When the #coronavirus variant now called #Delta first appeared in December 2020, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, it did not seem all that remarkable. But when it descended on New Delhi a few months later, its impact was devastating, with almost 30,000 cases reported

#DeltaVariant #Delta #COVID19 #coronavirus #UK #Portugal A worrying spike of coronavirus infections in Europe is being driven by the Delta variant, according to global health leaders, even as immunization rates in some countries are on the way up. Increased cases reported in the U.K. and Portugal have forced officials to reimplement lockdown restrictions or hold off on lifting pandemic mandates. Officials in France, Germany, and Spain say they are closely monitoring clusters

#DeltaVariant #COVID19 #COVIDvaccination #COVIDvaccine #coronavirus #Delta Only 52% of Republicans said they were vaccinated & 29% have no intention of getting a vaccine. 77% of Democrats said they were already vaccinated, & only 5% are resisting the vaccine. With Covid vaccination penetration in the US likely to fall short of Joe Biden’s 70% by Fourth of July target, pandemic analysts are warning that vaccine incentives are losing traction and that “two Americas” may emerge

While US health officials warn most about the #Delta variant (#B16172, first seen in India) other #coronavirus variants are also gaining ground in parts of the US, among them the #Gamma variant, also known as #P1, which spread fast to dominate in Brazil. Coronavirus variants are what keep Dr. Scott Lindquist, an epidemiologist for Washington state, up at night. "I have got to be honest -- last thing I think about before I go to bed are the variants and the first thing I think

Virologists say that the #Delta variant, first found in India, is now the most prevalent #coronavirus strain in Moscow. The mayor says that 89.3% of all new #COVID19 cases in the city involve the Delta variant. The Russian government has approved three coronavirus vaccines as safe and effective, but Vadim Zhukov took his own approach to testing: He let a friend take one first. “I waited to see what happened to him,” said Mr. Zhukov, 21, a university student. His friend was fi