A new mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has been discovered in Norway. The head physician of the municipality of Trondheim Tove Resstad reported this to the newspaper “Verdens Gang” (Verdens Gang).
In the period from 16 to 18 October in the city of Trondheim, a new type of virus was detected in eight local residents. “According to preliminary estimates, this is a new variant of the virus that the Ministry of Health has not seen before in Norway,” said Resstad.
She added that it is not yet known what properties the virus mutation has. However, she said, getting infected with the coronavirus in Trondheim has become easier: for this, people do not need to be in close contact.
In early October, it was reported that scientists from the Francis Crick Institute had discovered a dangerous mutation of the coronavirus, which makes it easier for it to enter the human body. Virus spikes can transform into ten different forms to protect against antibody recognition. In laboratory conditions, these spikes could change in just a minute, although in reality they do so much more slowly. Experts explained that neither the flu nor HIV has such a complex mechanism of entry.
According to Johns Hopkins University, nearly 16.5 thousand cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in Norway since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. 278 cases in the country have died.
