TAMPA, Fla. - Researchers in Florida are tracking a mutation in the COVID-19 virus that makes it better at infecting human cells.
The changes in the virus are within the spike proteins, which are what allows the virus to bind and infect human cells. The mutation, called D614G, stabilizes the spike protein, making it less likely to fall apart.
That's why it's more infectious. Scripps Research Institute researcher Hyeryun Choe, PhD. says they used databases of the virus’s gene sequences to track just how quickly the mutated virus has taken hold.She says while it doesn't prove the virus is able to spread more easily, it does imply it.“In early February, there was almost no detectable mutant virus in the database.