SARS-CoV-2 Mutates = 40 Mutations Found in Iceland

Scientists in Iceland claim they have found 40 mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The mutations were discovered by analyzing the swabs of COVID-19 patients in Iceland. A single person has been found to be infected with two variants of new coronavirus.

"We can see how viruses mutate," explains Kári Stefánsson, director of DeCode Genetics for Information. “We have genes from more than 400 infections."

"The interesting thing about that sequencing is that we can track where the virus came from. Some came from Austria. There is another type from people who were infected in Italy. And there is a third type of virus found in people infected in England. Seven people had attended a football match in England."

Using genetic sequencing, the researchers identified how many mutations the virus had accumulated. These genetic variants can act as the fingerprints of the virus to indicate where in the world it originated.

This means that viruses can infect more because they are better adapted, but it is not the disease-causing virus variants that survive. These are the variants that cause less disease. "