The likelihood that a new coronavirus discovered in South Africa will spread in the human population and cause a new wave of morbidity is negligible. This was stated in a conversation with Lenta.ru by an infectious disease specialist, associate professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the RUDN University Sergey Voznesensky, assessing the danger of a new infection for Russia.
According to him, the viruses that cause acute respiratory viral infections in humans were previously inherent in other biological species, including influenza and coronavirus. However, transfer is extremely rare.
“There are many such candidate viruses to overcome the interspecies barrier and infect humans. (…) To our great happiness, overcoming the interspecies barrier from one animal to another, in this case the human body, does not often happen, ”he said.
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Earlier on January 27, it became known that scientists from China discovered in South Africa a new bat coronavirus NeoCov, related to the causative agent of the Middle East fever MERS and capable of penetrating cells in much the same way as SARS-CoV-2. At the same time, NeoCov is not affected by either SARS-CoV-2 antibodies or protein molecules that suppress MERS, which makes it especially dangerous if it can enter the human population. Experts noted that there is such a risk, but explained that for this the virus needs to mutate. According to them, now it threatens only bats. The scientists added that their study has the status of a reprint, that is, the work will be checked by experts in the future.
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