SINGAPORE: Researchers in Singapore have discovered a new COVID-19 variant that causes less severe symptoms in patients, opening up new avenues for vaccine development and treatments.
In a sample of 39 patients with the milder variant, three patients developed low blood oxygen and required supplemental oxygen, compared with 26 out of 92 patients with the non-mutated or wild-type virus. Data suggests that ORF8 deletions emerge in response to the human immune system response. Other types of deletions in the ORF8 region have also been detected globally.
“I will tell you that there is excitement among us, as researchers, when we found this new variant. It opens up a lot of scientific basis and background for us to understand, each genetic segment, what it means to the virus, and what it means when it interacts with the human host,” said Prof Leo.
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