WHO and other experts say no evidence of COVID-19 losing potency

[webfact]

WHO and other experts say no evidence of COVID-19 losing potency

By Kate Kelland and Emilio Parodi

 

FILE PHOTO: Technical Lead for the World Health Organization (WHO) Maria Van Kerkhove attends a news conference on the situation of the coronavirus (COVID-2019), in Geneva, Switzerland, February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

 

LONDON/MILAN (Reuters) - World Health Organization experts and a range of other scientists said on Monday there was no evidence to support an assertion by a high profile Italian doctor that the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic has been losing potency.

 

Professor Alberto Zangrillo, head of intensive care at Italy's San Raffaele Hospital in Lombardy, which bore the brunt of Italy's COVID-19 epidemic, on Sunday told state television that the new coronavirus "clinically no longer exists."

 

But WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove, as well as several other experts on viruses and infectious diseases, said Zangrillo's comments were not supported by scientific evidence.

 

There is no data to show the new coronavirus is changing significantly, either in its form of transmission or in the severity of the disease it causes, they said.

 

"In terms of transmissibility, that has not changed, in terms of severity, that has not changed," Van Kerkhove told reporters.

 

It is not unusual for viruses to mutate and adapt as they spread, and the debate on Monday highlights how scientists are monitoring and tracking the new virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has so far killed more than 370,000 people and infected more than 6 million.

 

Martin Hibberd, a professor of emerging infectious disease at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said major studies looking at genetic changes in the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 did not support the idea that it was becoming less potent, or weakening in any way.

 

"With data from more than 35,000 whole virus genomes, there is currently no evidence that there is any significant difference relating to severity," he said in an emailed comment.

 

Zangrillo, well known in Italy as the personal doctor of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said his comments were backed up by a study conducted by a fellow scientist, Massimo Clementi, which Zangrillo said would be published next week.

 

Zangrillo told Reuters: "We have never said that the virus has changed, we said that the interaction between the virus and the host has definitely changed."

 

He said this could be due either to different characteristics of the virus, which he said they had not yet identified, or different characteristics in those infected.

 

The study by Clementi, who is director of the microbiology and virology laboratory of San Raffaele, compared virus samples from COVID-19 patients at the Milan-based hospital in March with samples from patients with the disease in May.

 

"The result was unambiguous: an extremely significant difference between the viral load of patients admitted in March compared to" those admitted last month, Zangrillo said.

 

Oscar MacLean, an expert at the University of Glasgow's Centre for Virus Research, said suggestions that the virus was weakening were "not supported by anything in the scientific literature and also seem fairly implausible on genetic grounds."

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-02

 

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[pegman]

Sure sounds like an excuse as to why so many died in his area. Our virus was much worse than what other places are dealing with. Is being Berlusconi's doc like being Trump's personal  physician?

[Brickbat]

So called “ high profile” brown nose doctors and other “ highly qualified “ scum are common. They will say anything if paid. And with vested interests so keen to get the economy restarted, money will pour to these ratbags who will then repeat the scrip they are given 

[Proboscis]

50 minutes ago, Brickbat said:

So called “ high profile” brown nose doctors and other “ highly qualified “ scum are common. They will say anything if paid. And with vested interests so keen to get the economy restarted, money will pour to these ratbags who will then repeat the scrip they are given 

Parsing your statement, you are claiming that the Italian doctor is accepting money from unnamed businesses (owners/investors?) to lie about the virus. Could you provide any evidence of this?

[Pedrogaz]

This simply sounds like an increase in testing. Now testing is more extensive patients with lower viral loads are being picked up as positives.

[Tug]

To bad wish it was evolving into something less dangerous bummer

[Caldera]

It might be as simple as the now warmer weather in Northern Italy, which could have two effects: Firstly, make the respiratory tract less susceptible to the virus. Secondly, inactivate the virus quicker outside of a host.

 

Technically, both the Italian doctors and the WHO experts could well be right.

[Bluetongue]

So many epidemiologists here. All I will say is that all Doctors are human and possess all the human traits.

[Rimmer]

A couple of troll posts have been removed

[Terrapin]

I trust in the opposite of what the WHO says. They have been blatently wrong about everything. 

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, Terrapin said:

I trust in the opposite of what the WHO says. They have been blatently wrong about everything. 

That's logical. 

Perhaps consult a random 711 clerk instead. 

Experts never know anything. 

The next time I need a doctor I plan on consulting the som tum lady down the street. 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by Jingthing