Category: Evolution

SARS-CoV-2 in Angola from 23rd September 2019

“Our findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2-reactive antibodies were detected in 40 out of 442 specimens, as early as September 23, 2019”

This retrospective study on blood specimens from measles patients collected from 23 September 2019 to 28 February 2020, reported from the 17 provinces of Angola, suggests evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection months before detection of the virus in Luanda, the epicenter of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Angola.  More...

Coronaheadsup.com Africa, Angola, Coronavirus, Evolution, Genome, Infection, Origins, PCR, Testing, Transmission, Vaccine

UK SAGE: Four scenarios for the evolution of the pandemic

UK SAGE have recently published a document outlining four different scenarios for the evolution of the pandemic in Britain.  More...

Coronaheadsup.com Co-infection, Coronavirus, Deaths, England, Evolution, Health, Healthcare, Herd Immunity, Hospitalization, Infection, Lockdown, London, Northern Ireland, Omicron, Recombination, Reinfection, Scotland, Transmission, Treatment, UK, Vaccine, Vaccine Breakthrough, Variants, Wales

Preprint: Omicron is the product of extensive evolution that has left no obvious traces of intermediate forms

The Omicron variant identified in Southern Africa in late November 2021 is the product of extensive evolution within an infection context that has so far left no obvious traces of intermediate forms since it diverged from the B.1.1 lineage (presumably at some time in mid to late 2020).  More...

Coronaheadsup.com Africa, B.1.1.529, Coronavirus, Evolution, Infection, Mutation, Omicron, Origins, South Africa, Transmission

CDC: Addition of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 chimeric viruses to select agents and toxins list

Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Division of Select Agents and Toxins published an Interim Final Rule adding SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 chimeric viruses resulting from any deliberate manipulation of SARS-CoV-2 to incorporate nucleic acids coding for SARS-CoV virulence factors to the list of HHS select agents and toxins.  More...

Coronaheadsup.com Coronavirus, Evolution, Recombination, Superspreader events, Transmission, USA

UK: The Alpha variant rears its ugly head again

A big surprise in the latest UK sequencing figures show that the Alpha variant has made something of a comeback this week.  More...

Coronaheadsup.com Alpha, Astrazeneca, AY.1, AY.2, AY.3, AY.3.1, AY.4, B.1.1.7, B.1.617.2, Coronavirus, Delta, Delta-AY.1, Delta-AY.2, Delta-AY.3, Delta-AY.3.1, Delta-AY.4, England, Europe, Evolution, Genome, Infection, Moderna, Northern Ireland, Pfizer/Biontech, Scotland, Testing, Transmission, UK, Vaccine, Wales