According to the British “Guardian” report, according to new scientific analysis, seven countries have reported mutations of the new coronavirus related to mink.
These viral mutations have been confirmed as variants of Coronavirus in minks, which have been repeatedly found in minks, and are now also appearing in humans.
The risk of detecting mink variants of Coronavirus in humans led to Denmark, the world’s largest mink fur producer, launching a nationwide culling operation earlier this month.
The culling was triggered by the Serological Institute (SSI) of the Danish public health agency.
The results of this study stated that a variant of the new coronavirus mink called C5 is more difficult to neutralize by antibodies and contributes to the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Potential threat. However, researchers who reviewed data from the Danish health department found that there is almost no evidence that the mutated virus is more deadly, spreads more easily in the population, or threatens the effectiveness of the vaccine.
They called for not doing too much with preliminary and limited experimental data Interpretation.
“The virus mutations that we know about mink-related viruses cannot be associated with rapid transmission, or any changes in morbidity and mortality,” said Astrid Iverson, a virologist at the University of Oxford, UK .
According to the Guardian, Denmark, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands, Russia and the United States have all reported cases of mink-related variant virus infections.
Despite strong political opposition, the Danish hunting operation continues, and farmers must slaughter all mink nationwide by midnight on Thursday. However, political controversy over the culling has forced the resignation of Danish Minister of Agriculture Mogens Jensen.
So far, there have been no widespread reports of human infection with mink variants outside of Denmark. However, scientists who uploaded virus sequencing and mutation information to the global database initiative Gisaid said that there are signs of new coronavirus mink variants all over the world.
Professor Joanne Santini, a microbiologist at University College London in the United Kingdom, said: “We know that viruses will mutate, but the mutation itself does not necessarily cause problems. The most important thing is that we still don’t know that this mutation comes first. What happened to the mink still happened to the human body first.”
In a joint e-mail to The Guardian this week, Professor Sarah Edwards, a bioethicist at University College London, said: “Several mutations in the spike protein gene (coronavirus) are indeed possible
The worrying impact on the infectivity of the virus to humans and animals may pose a new threat to the expected efficacy of our vaccine candidates.”
The report pointed out that although Denmark is the only country that ordered the culling of farmed minks nationwide, other countries, including the Netherlands, Spain and Greece, have reported reports of culling minks infected with Coronavirus.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that Poland has begun mandatory testing of mink, despite the industry’s concern that testing will lead to a nationwide culling.
