NeoCoV, A New Variant To Worry About?

Wuhan scientists once again create fear as they are back in the news with bitter information to share. The team of Wuhan scientists has warned of a lethal variant called ‘NeoCoV’ that requires only one mutation to infiltrate human cells. NeoCoV is a type of coronavirus and it spreads among bats in South Africa. It may pose a threat to humans in the future if it mutates further, according to a study by Chinese researchers.

With fear lingering around Delta, Omicron, and other variants, the latest ‘NeoCoV’ was a top search term in India with more than five lakh searches, according to Google. So far, there is nothing for us to be immediately concerned about NeoCoV. NeoCoV is a term loosely being used to refer to a virus variant linked to MERS-CoV. MERS-CoV belongs to the larger coronavirus family and is one of the seven known coronaviruses that can infect humans. MERS-CoV caused large outbreaks in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and South Korea during the 2010s.

NeoCov carries with it the combination of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS)-CoV mortality rate and the current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus high transmission rate. In simple words, this may cause 1 in 3 infected men dead. The new variant is related to the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a viral disease first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wuhan University noted that NeoCov is found in a population of bats in South Africa and spreads exclusively among these animals. In its current form, NeoCov does not infect humans but further mutations may make it potentially harmful. “In this study, we unexpectedly found that NeoCoV and its close relative, PDF-2180-CoV, can efficiently use some types of bat Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and, less favourably, human ACE2 for entry,” the authors of the study noted.

Note: This virus has not infected man, and has not killed anyone.