Category: Recombination
China: 60,000 Covid deaths finally added to global records
The 60,000 Covid deaths that were reported by China on the 14th January 2023 have finally been added to global Covid data records.… ...More...
Sato Lab: Virological characteristics of XBB.1.5
Japan’s Sato Lab have announced new research into the Omicron XBB.1.5 ‘Kraken’ variant, confirming much about what is already known or suspected about its transmissibility.… ...More...
Record Covid deaths in Japan, pneumonia increases in Italy
Just two days ago, the WHO warned of an increase in Covid deaths across the globe.… ...More...
XBB.1.5 the most transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variant so far
Full video of the comments concerning XBB.1.5 at a World Health Organization briefing today.… ...More...
XBB.1.5 at a staggering FORTY PERCENT of sequences in the US
These numbers were so shocking that, when they were leaked online yesterday, we didn’t believe them.… ...More...
XBB.1.5 has a much higher hACE2 binding affinity than XBB.1
A new Twitter thread by Chinese researcher Yunlong Richard Cao about XBB.1.5 seems to confirm some of the anecdotal data collected recently about this hypertransmissable subvariant.… ...More...
Recombination potential between SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV
A June 2021 preprint looking at the potential for a MERS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 recombination event is receiving a lot of social media attention today following rumours of MERS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 infections at the World Cup in Qatar. … ...More...
Denmark’s Covid variant soup is turning into a Covid variant smoothie
When we last checked in October 2022, Denmark had sequenced 120 different Covid variants – this month, they have sequenced 249 Covid variants.… ...More...
Recombinant SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 variant found in Chinese bats
A new preprint out today has been looking at viruses in Chinese bats and has turned up some surprises – it looks like a recombinant variant of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 has been found!… ...More...
Emma Hodcroft analyses the XBB recombinant variant
This is one of those very rare occasions when an entire Twitter thread is worth republishing as it answers so many common questions.… ...More...