NeoCov: Is it TRUE or HYPE?

NeoCov – A new kind of coronavirus is founded by a group of Wuhan scientists among bats in South Africa. The Chinese scientists warned against this new virus NeoCoV which is said to be a threat for humans in the future as it is more lethal with a higher infection and transmission rate. Still, the world is battling against the ongoing pandemic, and the news of the NeoCoV virus which has the potential of killing one in every three infected people is really scary.

What did the Chinese scientists claim about NeoCoV?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Disease (SARS).

This virus is closely related to MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, a viral disease found in South Africa in 2012. NeoCoV is not entirely new, it has been found in bats and never infected a human, but its close resemblance to the MERS virus is a reason to consider its severity.

The Chinese researchers shared their study with WHO in the preprint repository BioRxiv which is yet to be peer-reviewed. So there is a hope that the mass hysteria initiated by news outlets turns out baseless.

They claim that the NeoCov virus can penetrate the human body in the same manner as the COVID-19 virus. NeoCoV is just one mutation away to become deadly for humans. A part of the published report read: “MERS-CoV and several bat coronaviruses employ DPP4 as their functional receptors. However, the receptor for NeoCoV, the closest MERS-CoV relative yet discovered in bats, remains enigmatic.’’ The experts have warned against the potential risks, mentioning that further investigations are needed to understand the human escape.

What is the point of view of WHO and other scientists?

According to WHO, it needs further studies to confirm if NeoCov poses a risk for mankind or not. WHO said that 75% of infectious diseases in humans are caused by wild animals.  Animals including bats too are a natural reservoir of many of these viruses like coronaviruses. According to Dr. Anurag Aggarwal, Director, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, ‘’MERS was even deadlier and has gone to humans, but not led to a pandemic.’’

There is no new threat of NeoCoV jumping from bat to human beings. The researchers say that NeoCoV can use ace2 receptors of bats but they can’t use ace2 receptors of human beings unless a new mutation occurs.  It is important to continue surveillance of zoonotic pathogens.

This particular virus has as much chance of jumping to humans as other bat viruses did, but not that everything jumps become a pandemic. There is no way to predict anything right now, many more infections will be there in the future with an increase in human-animal contact. Let’s relax till peer-reviewed research is published and WHO comes up with something specific. Still, confirmation is pending as it is just a possibility and there are no human cases.

THE BOTTOM LINE

That’s what I gathered the information from the various news sources. What do you think? Why all this is happening? What is the reason for so many viruses? Are these viruses manufactured or discovered? Is China again hiding something?

Covid, Delta, Omicron, and now NeoCoV -who knows what might else be coming in near future? These viruses are becoming the weapons to destroy the world. Capitalism and consumerism will destroy everything. What Karl Marx has said a century ago started to become true now. Just when we think it’s all going to be OK, a new study comes of a new variant. The updates about the virus variants are coming like the Apple updated iPhone series. Is NeoCoV a truth or its hype that will soon come in front of us?

What is going to come in the future no one can predict. But in my opinion, the old theory of Darwin of Survival of the fittest will work. Keep yourself fit and healthy both physically and mentally by doing exercises, eating a healthy diet, and a healthy lifestyle. This will pay in long run.

DISCLAIMER- All the information given in this article is collected from various news portals like Ndtv, WION, Indian Express, Gravitas.