An analysis of the structure of more than 10 thousand samples of a new type of coronavirus from different regions of the world showed that six of its varieties are now spreading around the world.
“We created an algorithm that can quickly sequenced and group complete genomes of pathogens of rapidly spreading epidemics. Using this technique, we studied 10,400 strains of SARS-CoV-2 and found that there are six clonal groups of this virus, that circulate around the world, "scientists write.
From the first days of the appearance of an outbreak of coronavirus infection, scientists have been trying to understand in which direction and how its pathogen, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is evolving. It is now known that it accumulates mutations at about the same rate as the influenza pathogen. However, how these mutations affect the infectiousness and other properties of the virus, scientists do not yet reliably know.