New strain of coronavirus discovered in Malaysia could be more infectious than COVID-19: report

There is a new strain of coronavirus – it’s called D614G. Currently, it crosses Southeast Asia, and the concern of Malaysian health officials is that it is even more contagious than COVID-19.

KXAN Austin reported that “the strain has been seen in several countries across the continent and was originally found in a Malaysian cluster of 45 cases,” quoting Bloomberg Quint, who follows international news in India.

According to KXAN, health officials say that “these 45 cases of D614G started after a person returned from India before completing their 14-day quarantine. Then the strain was detected from several samples of COVID-19 in the Philippines. “

Philippine Under Secretary of Health Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday the mutation would have “a greater possibility of transmission or infectivity, but we still do not have enough strong evidence to say that will happen “KXAN said.

There is a lack of evidence.

What health officials point out, according to the report, is the lack of evidence, with Benjamin Cowling, head of epidemiology and bio-statistics at the University of Hong Kong, saying “he might just have a competitive advantage. on other strains of COVID-19. “

The strain “could be a little more contagious,” Cowling told Bloomberg Quint. “We don’t have enough evidence yet to assess this, but there is no evidence that it’s much more contagious,” KXAN said.

The report says D614G is currently under investigation in the Philippines, where the COVID-19 outbreak is the highest in the region. According to the report, the World Health Organization says the mutation is the predominant strain in Europe and the United States

Dr Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s senior infectious disease specialist, said in July that a new COVID-19 mutation could help the coronavirus replicate more easily.

Fauci said: “It appears that a particular mutation may make the virus more transmissible,” the report cited.

READ MORE:

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not yet a subscriber? Please consider support our work.