Virologists and microbiologists have been analyzing New York City wastewater plants to detect COVID-19 levels, since June 2020. This provides a representative sample of what’s in our bodies because we all use the restroom. However in April 2021, they found four unfamiliar COVID mutations undetected among 2.5 million sequences of variants on their data base. Why did it take so long for The City website to report this?
Why the Time Lag to Report These Unfamiliar COVID Mutations?
The short answer is good science takes time to assure valid findings. There might have been a panic, if the information spread on social media in an uncoordinated fashion. Therefore, the researchers first needed to ascertain two things. These were (a) how widespread the unfamiliar mutations were, and (b) whether they could infect humans.
Months and months of testing and retesting followed, before they could release their findings in pre peer-reviewed format. Their tentative conclusions in summary form on July 29, 2021 were as follows:
1… The researchers amplified regions of spike protein genes in samples from all fourteen NYC wastewater treatment plants.
2…Their focus changed after they identified four unique lineages (life forms) using high throughput sequencing.
3… Those unfamiliar COVID mutations had characteristics rarely noted in the authoritative GISAID data base.
4… And then they discovered the Q493K, Q498Y, H519N and T572N mutations may have come from infected dogs and rats.
5… They concluded the mutations could be incubating in rats and dogs, but had broken out through sewage.
So Are These Unfamiliar COVID Mutations a Threat to Humans?
The possibility of virus mutations spreading from animals to humans is statistically extremely unlikely. However, one variant did cross over at mink farms in Denmark. One theory also holds COVID-19 first broke out at a wet meat market in China. But there’s no evidence to suggest those new mutations present a threat to humans. We can continue with sensible precautions, as before.
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Preview Image: Relationships Between Flaviviridae
