A new study has revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses an underground form of transmission mostly staying away from the immune system and spreading from cell to cell. The research paper, led by Shan-Lu Liu, a virology professor in the Department of Veterinary Biosciences at The Ohio State University, breaks down in detail the mechanism in which the virus is spreading.
Simply put, the virus spreads from one cell to another as there is no immunity to prevent them there. They remain tucked within cell walls. Target cell becomes a donor cell and thus a wave is created, the research paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said.
The researchers said that this cell-to-cell transmission is not sensitive to inhibition from antibodies generated either through vaccines or through the previous infection. "We were able to confirm cell-to-cell transmission is not sensitive to inhibition from antibodies from COVID patients or vaccinated individuals," Liu said. "Cell-to-cell transmission's resistance to antibody neutralization is probably something we should watch for as SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge, including the most recent, Omicron. In this sense, developing effective antiviral drugs targeting other steps of viral infection is critical," Liu added.
As the SARS virus is not new, the research paper compared SARS-CoV-2 with SARS-CoV which was behind the SARS outbreak of 2003. It said that the previous version led to a much higher fatality rate and lasted only eight months, while this version is continuing the pandemic for almost two years now. And one thing that helps SARS-CoV-2 to escape antibodies is cell-to-cell transmission.
{{/usCountry}}As the SARS virus is not new, the research paper compared SARS-CoV-2 with SARS-CoV which was behind the SARS outbreak of 2003. It said that the previous version led to a much higher fatality rate and lasted only eight months, while this version is continuing the pandemic for almost two years now. And one thing that helps SARS-CoV-2 to escape antibodies is cell-to-cell transmission.
{{/usCountry}}With fresh cases of Covid rising in the world again, restrictions are back in place. Omicron, the latest variant of SARS-CoV-2, first identified in South Africa on November 24, is the latest threat as it appears to be spreading faster than the previous variants.
The emergence of Omicron reveals that vaccinated people are also getting infected by this variant. Even people who have received booster doses against Covid are not safe from the infection. WHO has emphasised that vaccines, booster doses are not the only answer to the pandemic, Covid-appropriate behaviour is