What is NeoCoV and why is it a hot topic?
Amid the rising number of Omicron cases in several countries, a new MERS-like variant from China
HAS EMERGED. NEOCOV, A MUTATION LINKED TO THE MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME MERS-COV,
HAS BEEN LINKED TO OUTBREAKS IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN 2012 AND 2015.
THE NEW WARNING FOLLOWS A YET-TO-BE-PEER-REVIEWED STUDY PUBLISHED IN PREPRINT ON
THE BIORXIV WEBSITE. THE RESEARCH FOUND NEOCOV AND ITS CLOSE RELATIVE, PDF-2180-COV, CAN ENTER
VIA BAT AND HUMAN ACE2.THE NEW CORONAVIRUS MAY BIND TO THE ACE2 RECEPTOR DIFFERENTLY THAN THE
COVID-19 PATHOGEN. THE VIRUS MAY COMBINE THE HIGH MORTALITY RATE OF MERS-COV WITH THE HIGH
TRANSMISSION RATE OF SARS-COV-2. ACCORDING TO A REPORT ON THE RUSSIAN WEBSITE SPUTNIK, "ONE IN
THREE INFECTED PEOPLE DIES FROM MERS.