The new strain of Sars-CoV-2: what we know
From our UK edition
What do we know about the new Covid strain? Like all viruses, Sars-CoV-2 changes. Like a manuscript that is being endlessly copied, letter by letter, it accumulates typos – changes in its genetic code. Compared with other viruses, this one changes at quite a slow rate. But we have seen a new version of the virus’s genetic code – its core manuscript – emerge in London and South East England, and it has some interesting properties. Firstly, it has accumulated quite a number of changes in the relatively recent past. This points to an interesting history for this strain and also means its biology – and the way it behaves in our bodies – could have changed too.
