NeoCov Alert: Wuhan scientists warn of new type of Coronavirus with high death, infection rate

Scientists from Wuhan have warned of a new type of coronavirus ‘NeoCov’ circulating in South Africa.

It is said to have a high death and transmission rate, according to a report by the Russian news agency Sputnik.

The NewCov variant discovered in South Africa is said to be related to the respiratory syndrome MERS-COV.

The NeoCov is believed to be not new as it is linked to the MERS-CoV virus and previously it was discovered in the Middle Eastern countries in 2021 and 2015.

Analysing the study, the inclination of NeoCoV seems, by all accounts, to be like the SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 in people. Researchers have said that NeoCoV was found in a bat populace.

Notwithstanding, a peered study published on the bioRxiv site, referenced NeoCoV and its direct relation PDF-2180-CoV can taint people.

A part of the published report read: “The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and several bat coronaviruses employ Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) as their functional receptors.

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However, the receptor for NeoCoV, the closest MERS-CoV relative yet discovered in bats, remains enigmatic.”

The alarming part was when Chinese researchers said that weighed in on the mortality rate stating that ‘one in every three infected person dies’.

After a briefing on NeoCoV, experts from the Russian State Virology and Biotechnology Research Center stated on Thursday (January 27).

It stated: “The Vector research centre is aware of the data obtained by Chinese researchers on the NeoCoV coronavirus. At the moment, the issue is not the emergence of a new coronavirus capable of actively spreading among humans.”

The experts have warned against the potential risks, mentioning that further study and investigation are needed to understand the immune escape.

#Inputs from agencies