COVID-19 Mutated? Could Europe's Second Wave Be from 20A.EU1 Spanish Mutation?

Urian B., Tech Times 30 October 2020, 08:10 am

A mutated strain of the coronavirus is said to have originated from Spain and could in fact be the culprit behind Europe's current catastrophic 2nd wave according to certain studies cited by The Daily Mail.

Could 90% of Europe have been affected by the Spanish mutation?

According to an international team of scientists that were tracking the virus as it has been spreading and evolving, there is a variant that is now called the 20A.EU1 and is behind about 90% of the cases currently in the UK ever since summer.

It was stated that every virus mutation includes its very own definitive genetic signature, this means that they can then be traced back towards where they have originated. The experts were reportedly able to track the 20A.EU1 all the way back to a particular farm that is located somewhere in the north of Spain back in June.

The virus is believed to have spread from Spain

It is now believed that it has raced throughout the whole continent as the known holidaymakers have returned just over the summer, this was during the time when there was reportedly a whole lull in transmission and the lockdowns were all eased.

This happening raises questions as to whether the current second wave, which is now forcing a number of European nations to go back into the dreaded national shutdowns, could have actually been averted if they were able to improve airport and border screenings. The scientists then claimed that the strain was behind about 80% of the known infections in Spain and also about 60% of those in Ireland. It was also pointed as the root cause for 40% of infections in both France and Switzerland.

Why is the 20A.EU1 so deadly?

All of the viruses are said to mutate as they proceed and spread throughout different populations. There are reportedly a few hundreds of different types of SARS-CoV-2, the virus allegedly caused COVID-19 that is currently circulating throughout Europe.

However, according to the story by The Daily Mail, there have only been a few of the said variants that spread just as successfully and have become just as prevalent as the recently-identified strain.

The team of scientists hailing from Switzerland as well as Spain, who have been sounding the alarm about 20A.EU1 are now rapidly trying to work out and understand if this virus is even more deadly and if it is more infectious in comparison to the previous variants. It was said that it is possible that a brand new strain contains a particular mutation located in the spike protein Sars-CoV-2 and uses it to invade the human cells making the whole process much easier. Nextstrain.org also gives more information about the 20A.EU1 and how it has spread.