“The results indicated that around 90 percent of viral transmission was cell-to-cell, possibly via fusion between neighboring infected and uninfected cells.
Further in vitro experiments that paired authentic SARS-CoV-2 with either the antiviral medication remdesivir or serum samples from people who received mRNA vaccines hinted that cell-to-cell transmission helped the virus avoid being neutralized by drugs or antibodies.
This ability to spread without exiting the intracellular environment could help “lead to persistent or prolonged infection.”
