COVID Broke The Rules Of Virus Evolution And How We Study All Viruses, Including The Flu.

Source: The Atlantic

There was a time when it was thought that one dose of the COVID vaccine would be all that was needed to combat the COVID virus. Frontline Doctors were wary of this claim and as research into the novel coronavirus advanced it became clear that the COVID virus evolved at rates we were not prepared to expect. Soon it became clear that new strains of the COVID virus rendered previous versions of the vaccine useless and the race to keep up with the newest strain of the COVID virus became a leading issue in the vaccine race.

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists assured us that the virus causing COVID-19 mutates slowly, suggesting any vaccine could provide long-lasting protection. However, SARS-CoV-2 accelerated its mutations, becoming more transmissible and capable of evading immunity, resulting in numerous breakthrough infections. Five years later, most people have had COVID at least once, and the vaccine continues to be updated for new variants.

Initially, scientists were both correct and mistaken about the mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2. While the virus doesn’t accumulate mutations rapidly during person-to-person transmission, it can undergo extensive mutation in immunocompromised patients over extended infections. This accelerated evolution contributed to the emergence of Omicron, which had over 50 mutations, appearing within months and causing a significant wave of infections, even among the vaccinated.

Chronic infections in immunocompromised individuals are now believed to drive many variants, including Omicron.

Researchers, including Harm van Bakel at Mount Sinai, began sequencing viruses from cancer patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in early 2020, noting their inability to clear the virus. A study indicated that these patients may require longer isolation periods to prevent viral spread.

A later preprint study by Ravindra Gupta in the U.K. highlighted a patient with persistent infection who, despite treatment with antibodies, saw the virus develop advantageous mutations. These mutations indicate that a weakened immune system can provide a breeding ground for the virus to adapt.

While prominent variants cannot be traced back directly to a single immunocompromised patient, evidence suggests many variants may develop in this context, displaying patterns of mutations concentrated in the spike protein but not elsewhere. Researchers have linked these chronic infections to the mutations seen in variants like BA.1 and BA.2 of Omicron. Bloom expresses strong confidence that chronic infections are a significant source of these variants, reflecting ongoing evolution driven by immune responses in vulnerable patients.

Frontline Doctors believe this research shows the importance of prevention and alternative treatments being used before symptoms and at early onset of symptoms. If you are immunocompromised this is even more important research to consider for your health and the health of others. 

If it seems as though when one person in your home gets sick and it is harder for the others in your house to kick the virus, this is why. It becomes stronger as it spreads.

This research has been applied to the Flu virus as well and changed the way we research Flu vaccines. This has been a very difficult Flu season and the virus is mutating more than in the past, with this delayed Flu season.

Schedule an appointment with Frontline Doctors for COVID, Flu and RSV concerns and protect your family today.