Society has mistakenly created a gourge between its citizens.
THE VACCINATED and THE UNVACCINATED.
We, as global citizens, should clearly discern COVID-19 from the regular flu virus. It's difficult to navigate the web, without probing the facts accumulated on COVID-19.
A virus is defined as, "a tiny organism that multiplies within cells and causes disease such as chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis and hepatitis. Viruses are not affected by antibiotics, the drugs used to kill bacteria(www.cdc.gov)."
A virus isn't alive. Multiplication is the main objective of a virus. A virus will spread, through consistent replication. Cellular invasion. The virus proceeds to spread its deadly message. Copies are handed out, and passed on, so to speak. Some copies have small variations. Errors. The errors that occur in the copies are called mutations. Viruses evolve via mutation. A variant is a mutation in a virus that occurs over time. New variants of a virus are scientifically expected to arise. These variants are aiming towards increased fitness, the ability to efficiently survive, within a population.
"In 2019, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of a disease outbreak that originated in China. The virus, COVID-19, is now known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic (www.mayoclinic.org)."
The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is mutating, evolving, and becoming stronger. The entire world is watching. These variants are under observation. All of these variants contain mutations on spike proteins.
A spike protein is defined, "as a glycoprotein that protrudes from the envelope of a virus(www.merriam-webster.com)" A spike protein facilitates entry of the viriom into a host cell. It functions by binding to a receptor on the surface of a host cell. This is followed by the compounding of the viral and host cell membranes.
The spike protein occurrence is a missense mutation. A missense mutation is a mistake in the DNA which results in the wrong amino acid being incorporated into a protein. A single DNA sequence change results in a different amino acid codon. The ribosome recognizes it. The function of the protein changes. This is evolution. Change may occur positively or negatively. A positive change improves the function of the protein. Functional development gives the organism a competitive advantage over its competition. Its presence is maintained in the population, as a result.
A virus surface spike protein mediates SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells. To fulfill its function, the SARS-CoV-2 spike binds to its receptor human ACE2 through its receptor-binding domain and is proteolytically activated by human proteases.
(July 2021. World Health Organization, WHO)
How are these variants' names established? There are hundreds of thousands of variants, but only some make the team.
The established nomenclature systems for naming and tracking SARS-CoV-2 genetic lineages are headed by GISAID, Nexstrain, and Pango. These are systems deemed necessary by scientists, and in scientific research. These names are for variants of interest (VOI), and variants of concern (VOC). This expert group, convened by WHO, has recommended using letters of the Greek Alphabet, i.e., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta which will be easier and more practical in discussions by non-scientific audiences.
Notable variants in the United States:
B.1.1.7 (Alpha): variant of SARS-CoV-2, detected in the United States, December 2020. Initially detected in the United Kingdom on September 2020; [GRY; +S:484K, +S:452R]
B.1.351, .2, and .3 (Beta): variant of SARS-CoV-2, detected in the United States, December 2020. Initially detected in South Africa, May 2020; [GH/501Y.V2; 20H (V2);
+S:L18F]
P.1, .1, and .2 (Gamma): variant of SARS-CoV-2, detected in the United States, January 2021. Initially detected in Brazil, November 2020; [GR/501Y.V3; 20J (V3); +S:681H]
B.1.617, AY.1, and .2 (Delta): variant of SARS-CoV-2, detected in the United States, May 2021. Initially identified in India, October 2020; [G/478K.V1; 21A; +S:417N]
The GISAID Initiative promotes the rapid sharing of data from all influenza viruses and the coronavirus causing COVID-19. This includes genetic sequence and related clinical and epidemiological data associated with human viruses, and geographical as well as species-specific data associated with avian and other animal viruses, to help researchers understand how viruses evolve and spread during epidemics and pandemics.
The Nexstrain project harnesses the scientific and public health potential of pathogen genome data. They provide a continually-updated view of publicly available data alongside powerful analytic and visualization tools for use by the community.
Pango nomenclature is being used by researchers and public health agencies worldwide to track the transmission and spread of SARS-CoV-2, including variants of concern
Protect yourself from virus variants:
-Get a vaccine. There are mRNA and DNA vector shots available.
-Get a mask with the proper covering.
-Social distant by 6 ft.
-Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
-Wash your hands with soap and water.
-Use hand sanitizer.
In order for the current vaccines to become illegitimate the efficacy rates would have to drop below 80%. At that point a government funded booster shot will go into production.
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