“Mutant” Coronavirus Is Not So

 New “Mutant” Coronavirus Is Not So New After All

Here’s what we know so far.

Let's infect computers with viruses and sell antivirus software - {then}

讓我們給電腦感染病毒，然後賣殺毒軟件——{那時}

Ràng wǒmen gěi diànnǎo gǎnrǎn bìngdú, ránhòu mài shādú ruǎnjiàn——{nà shí}

    Ràng wǒmen yòng bìngdú gǎnrǎn rén, ránhòu mài yìmiáo——[xiànzài xiāngtóng]

     讓我們用病毒感染人，然後賣疫苗——[現在相同]

     Let's infect people with viruses and sell vaccines -- [same now]

( French) 

Infectons les ordinateurs avec des virus informatiques et vendons des logiciels antivirus - {alors}

      Infectons les gens avec des virus et vendons des vaccins -- [idem maintenant] 

Just as things started improving with mass vaccination underway and people hopeful for a better 2022, we are hit with this news of a “new” coronavirus mutation—the “mutant” coronavirus, as I like to call it.

A new strain that spreads faster than ever!

How much faster? Up to 70% faster, according to PM Boris Johnson. He stepped down as the PM. By October 2022.

And as a result, London went into emergency lockdown. Flights were banned, and trips were canceled.

But I thought the timing of it extremely convenient, especially for the “trustworthy” media.

 Why now?

So I did a little research on the matter, and here’s what we know so far.

1. The new mutation is not so “new.”

They’ve known about this new variant since September, and it’s been spreading ever since. The new strain was about 25% of all London cases by November and is now about 66% of all cases.

Does it really take FOUR months to notice if it’s spreading faster? Isn’t anyone doing any testing on the new variants once they’re discovered?

2. It’s not the first time COVID-19 mutates.

The first mutation (D614G) emerged in Europe in February — less than two months after detecting the first strain in Wuhan, China.

The D614G is the most dominant variant of COVID-19 that you find around the world. (One can argue it's the “Europe Virus” and not the “China Virus” to blame for the situation in the US.)

Another variation (A222V) was also detected during the summer holidays in Spain, which spread across Europe.

3. They don’t know for a fact that the new mutation is spreading faster than others.

They don’t know for a fact that it can spread faster than other variants. The 70% figure came from a politician.

This spread could be due to people’s behavior and other factors in London. Scientists are running tests to understand this new strain.

The emergency lockdown and travel ban came as a precaution until they understand the new strain.

“The amount of evidence in the public domain is woefully inadequate to draw strong or firm opinions on whether the virus has truly increased transmission” — Professor Jonathan Ball, virologist at the University of Nottingham.

4. They have no idea where it originated.

They think it EITHER mutated in a patient in the UK or was imported to the UK from a country that doesn’t monitor COVID-19 mutations!

Hmm… very helpful!

5. They don’t think it’s more deadly and is said to be “under control.”

According to WHO, there’s no evidence that the new strain is deadlier, and there have been much higher contamination rates throughout the pandemic.

“We have had a much higher [contamination rate] at different points in this pandemic and we’ve got it under control” — Michael Ryan, WHO Emergencies Chief

6. Vaccines can be easily tweaked to respond to mutations.

There’s no evidence that available vaccines won’t work against the new variant. Testing the vaccines against the mutant virus has already started by Pfizer and Moderna. Modifications can be easily done and made available within a month and a half.