Researchers say they have found more evidence that a mutant version of the coronavirus that has overtaken an older strain to spread across much of the world is in fact more easily transmitted, but does not appear to be any more dangerous.
Also, because it hasn’t changed its physical shape, it should be just as vulnerable to the body’s immune response -- whether natural or induced by a vaccine.
Scientists have been reporting about this new variant of the virus -- so-called D614G -- since April.
The research team tested the strain in lab animals and in lab dishes containing the cells that line the human respiratory tract.
“The variant exhibits more efficient infection, replication, and competitive fitness in primary human airway epithelial cells,” they wrote.
The findings validate earlier studies showing the new strain spreads more easily and support evidence the change has not made the virus more likely to cause severe disease.
What the mutation may do is help the virus thrive better in the nose and upper respiratory tract -- something that would help it spread among people.