Scientists explains the attack of coronavirus on the brain in new study - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Scientists explains the attack of coronavirus on the brain in new study.

The peak viral load in the brain was 1,000 times than in lungs

Very high levels of the novel coronavirus were found in the brain of mice infected in a controlled exposure study by scientists from Georgia State University in Atlanta.

The peak viral load in the brain was 1,000 times than in lungs, suggesting that the coronavirus has a high potential for replication in the brain.

The research also showed a direct correlation between high viral load in the brain and the onset of neurological symptoms and deaths in the infected mice.

“Brain infection leads to immune cell infiltration, inflammation and cell death,” the report concluded. It also noted that humans have a higher chance of developing a brain infection with a high dose of the virus

The researchers collected a strain of the virus from the throat swab of a patient in Washington and introduced it into the mice through their noses.

Upon entering, the virus made its way to the brain by infecting the nasal passageway, olfactory bulb (responsible for the sense of smell) and eyes, the study suggested.

The infected subjects were observed for six days by which time all of them succumbed to the infection. The report was published on January 19 in the journal Viruses.

While the occurrence of neurological complications from COVID-19 was well known, its pathogenesis was not well understood, the authors of the report wrote.

High concentration of the virus was found in the lungs from the first day of the infection and declined during the last phase (days five and six). In the brain, however, the viral load increased only in the last stage —the highest levels were observed on days five and six.

This also when the infected mice displayed neurological symptoms such as hunchbacked posture, ruffled fur, tremors and ataxic gait.

Immune response in these two murine organs also followed the same timeline. The levels of interferons, proteins secreted by the immune cells of the body, were found to be higher in the lungs than the brain despite higher virus replication in the brain.

The scientists also studied the viral load and immune response in other organs of mice like heart, kidney, spleen, pancreas and liver. Replication of coronavirus in these organs was found to be limited. (Source: downtoearth)

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Scientists explains the attack of coronavirus on the brain in new study.

Coronavirus | How the new variant quickly accumulated 23 mutations - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Coronavirus | How the new variant quickly accumulated 23 mutations.

It may have emerged in immunosuppressed patient who had prolonged infection.

The new SARS-CoV-2 variant — B.1.1.7 — that was first seen in Kent and Greater London in the third week of September has since spread to other locations in the U.K. According to the COVID-19 Genomics U.K. Consortium (COG-UK Consortium) that analysed the genome data of the virus and identified the variant, the new variant has been spreading “rapidly” over the last four weeks and has now been detected in other locations in the U.K., indicating further spread of the variant in the country.

According to a preliminary report posted on December 19 by the COG-UK Consortium scientists, as of December 15, 1,623 variant genomes have been sequenced. In a December 21 tweet, COG-UK Consortium said that it added 2,963 more genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2, of which 942 (32%) belong to the new variant. The consortium intends to sequence 20,000 more SARS-CoV-2 genomes in the next two weeks to further ascertain the spread of the variant.

The report says that mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus accumulate at a “relatively consistent rate over time”. According to current estimates, the circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages accumulate mutations at a rate of about just one-two mutations per month despite it being an RNA virus. The mutation rate of novel coronavirus is much less than the seasonal flu virus.

The new variant has 23 mutations in all, which is unusually huge. Since the normal rate of accumulation of mutations in coronavirus is only one-two per month, the emergence of a large number of mutations in the variant could possibly have taken place in an immunodeficient or immunosuppressed patient who had a prolonged infection. High rates of mutations accumulating in a short time have been reported previously in such people as the infection persists for two-four months or even longer, they write.

The immunocompromised patients are generally treated with convalescent plasma once or more and also with the drug remdesivir. Convalescent plasma therapy is often resorted to when the viral load in these patients is high. A study done earlier by other researchers has found that convalescent plasma therapy given to these patients when the viral load is high leads to increased virus genetic diversity.

“The evolutionary dynamics of and selective pressures upon the virus population are expected to be very different to those experienced in typical infection,” say Dr. Andrew Rambaut from the University of Edinburgh and others.

According to the authors, in the beginning, selective pressures from natural immune responses in immunocompromised patients will be weak or absent. Antibody therapy in the form of convalescent plasma may lead to strong selective pressure on the virus due to high concentration of antibodies. After many weeks of infection, the virus population may be unusually large and genetically diverse. Any antibody therapy administered at such a time would lead to antibody-mediated selective pressure. This would create suitable circumstances for the rapid fixation of multiple virus genetic changes, they note.

While chronic infections in immunocompromised patients are rare, the onward transmission from such patients is presumably even rarer, they write. However, such an event taking place is “not improbable,” considering the large number of new infections currently taking place.

“Although we speculate here that chronic infection played a role in the origins of the B.1.1.7 variant, this remains a hypothesis and we cannot yet infer the precise nature of this event,” they write.

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Coronavirus | How the new variant quickly accumulated 23 mutations.

Coronavirus outbreak can now be classified as a pandemic, says WHO - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Coronavirus outbreak can now be classified as a pandemic, says WHO.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was troubled by the spread and severity of the outbreak, along with a lack of action taken to combat it.

The new coronavirus outbreak can now be described as a pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization announced Wednesday.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was troubled by the spread and severity of the outbreak, along with a lack of action taken to combat it.
"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we're deeply concerned, both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction," he told a news conference in Geneva.
"We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic."
The number of cases in over 100 countries around the world has risen to more than 124,000, with over 4,500 deaths, including a jump in fatalities in Iran and Italy in particular, according to an AFP tally.
China remains the worst-affected country with more than 80,000 confirmed cases and over 3,000 deaths.
Tedros said that over the past two weeks, the number of cases outside China had increased 13-fold and the number of affected countries had tripled.
He said he expected the number of cases and deaths would grow in the coming days and weeks.
"Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly," he told reporters, but he stressed that "describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO's assessment of the threat posed by the virus."
It should not be taken by countries as a signal to give up on efforts to contain the virus with methods like contact-tracing, he said.

Tedros pointed out that over 90 percent of cases had been registered in just four countries, and that countries with no or only a few cases could still halt the virus in its tracks.
"We should double down, and we should be more aggressive," Tedros said, adding: "We are not saying the world should move from containment to mitigation... the blended approach should continue.
"It will be a mistake to abandon the containment strategy," he said.
He acknowledged that the world had "never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus," but emphasised that "we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time." Countries can still change the course of the outbreak, he said.
Michael Ryan, who heads WHO's emergencies programme, insisted on the need to slow the outbreak to give time to hospitals to prepare for more cases, warning that many countries' health systems were showing a lack of resilience.
"If you do not try to suppress this virus it can overwhelm your health system," he said.
Tedros said the WHO was grateful for the measures being taken in countries around the globe and was aware that they were taking a "heavy toll" on societies.
He also said hard-hit Iran was trying its best to control the outbreak but needed more supplies.
Iran is suffering from a shortage of ventilators, oxygen and protective gear for health workers, reporters were told.


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Coronavirus outbreak can now be classified as a pandemic, says WHO.

Why coronavirus could help save China's endangered species - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Why coronavirus could help save China's endangered species.

• The pangolin, the most trafficked mammal on Earth, is prized for its meat and its unique scales, which are said to have medicinal properties
• The international sale of pangolins was outlawed in 2016 under the CITES convention against species exploitation
The novel coronavirus outbreak in China may end up saving one of the world's most trafficked animals after Beijing announced a total ban on the sale and consumption of the pangolin.
The scaly mammal -- listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) as threatened with extinction -- is a traditional delicacy across China and much of southeast Asia.
Following research linking the critters with the transmission of coronavirus to humans in the outbreak epicentre of Wuhan, Chinese officials on Monday slapped a ban on eating wild animals.
The measures, intended to halt the spread of the virus that has infected over 80,000 people worldwide and killed more than 2,700, could end up helping a number of endangered species -- but only if the ban holds long term.
"I applaud the ban, as we see that the Chinese government is determined to change a thousands-year-old tradition which is so inappropriate in today's society," said Jeff He, China director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
"I think the ban is an important Step One for wildlife conservation in China."
He called for "stronger and more progressive revisions" of China's existing wildlife protection laws.
Beijing implemented similar measures following the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s, but the trade and consumption of wild animals, including bats and snakes, made a comeback.
"I do think the government has seen the toll it takes on national economy and society is much bigger than the benefit that wild-eating business brings," said He.
Most-trafficked mammal
The pangolin, the most trafficked mammal on Earth, is prized for its meat and its unique scales, which are said to have medicinal properties.
Peter Knights, CEO of the WildAid charity, said that while China's ban was welcome, a global effort was required to end the drastic decline in the world's pangolin populations.
"The only question is what will happen in the longer run," he said. "We hope that China can lead the world in banning these markets globally."

The coronavirus outbreak should serve as a "warning" for humans to seek to conserve more of nature, or face health and financial backlashes, Knights said.
"If we heed the warning not only will we protect human life but we could actually save species like pangolins," he added.
The international sale of pangolins was outlawed in 2016 under the CITES convention against species exploitation.
CITES secretary-general Ivonne Higuero welcomed China's move to ban the domestic trade but stressed that the animals were far from out of the woods.
The illegal trafficking of wild species is estimated by the WWF to be worth around $15 billion annually, particularly among booming Asian markets.
"What we've seen is that there is a lot of illegal wildlife trade going on with China as a destination country," said Higuero.
She said a ban on pangolin consumption in China could significantly dent international trafficking by removing the financial incentives that drive criminal gangs to smuggle the creatures en masse.
While the ban has been welcomed by the conservation communities, there are fears that humans could come to blame pangolins for the outbreak, and seek revenge.
"People could become more wary of pangolins and therefore become more sensitive to their consumption and use," said Ray Jansen, Chairman of the African Pangolin Working Group and member of the ICUN.
"But on the other side of the sword, they could also start viewing pangolins as a threat, which would put them in danger. We are not quite sure how the public will take it."
For Andrew Muir, CEO of Wilderness Foundation Africa, the solution is simple.
"If we do not eat wildlife they will not harm us," he said. (Source: Livemint)


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Coronavirus poses risks to fragile recovery in global economy: IMF - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Coronavirus poses risks to fragile recovery in global economy: IMF.

The coronavirus epidemic has already disrupted economic growth in China and a further spread to other countries could derail a “highly fragile” projected recovery in the global economy in 2020, the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday.

In a note for G20 finance ministers and central bankers, the global lender mapped out many risks facing the global economy, including the disease and a renewed spike in U.S.-China trade tensions, as well as climate-related disasters.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the outbreak was a stark reminder of how unforeseen events could threaten a fragile recovery, and urged G20 policymakers to work to reduce other uncertainties linked to trade, climate change and inequality.
“Uncertainty is becoming the new normal,” Georgieva wrote in a blog posted on the IMF website. “While some uncertainties — like disease — are out of our control, we should not create new uncertainties where we can avoid it.”
Finance ministers and central bankers from the top 20 advanced industrialized economies will gather in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this week, still uncertain about the impact of the coronavirus, known as COVID-19.
Despite the outbreak, the IMF said it was sticking to its January forecast for 3.3% growth in the global economy this year, up from 2.9% in 2019. It represents a downward revision of 0.1 percentage points from its forecast in October.
It said the recovery would be shallow and could be derailed by a re-escalation of trade tensions or further spread of the disease, which had already disrupted production in China and could affect other countries through tourism, supply chain linkages and commodity prices.
China has said it could still meet its economic growth target for 2020 despite the epidemic. Georgieva said the IMF expected only a small reduction in China’s gross domestic product growth unless a protracted outbreak worsens the slowdown.
Even in the best-case scenarios, the projected rate of global growth was modest, she said, urging G20 policymakers to act to reduce trade tensions, mitigate climate change and tackle persistent inequality.
Cyber attacks, an escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East or a breakdown in trade talks between China and the United States could impede the short-term global recovery, the IMF said. Climate-related disasters, protectionism and social and political unrest triggered by persistent inequality posed further economic risks.
In her blog, Georgieva said a Phase 1 trade deal between the United States and China eliminated some negative consequences of trade tensions, reducing the drag on global GDP by 0.2% in 2020, or about one quarter of the total impact.
She also cited new IMF estimates that a typical climate-related natural disaster reduced growth by an average of 0.4 percentage points in the affected country the year it occurred.
To respond, policymakers should focus on diversifying energy sources and investing in resilient infrastructure.
Georgieva said it was also critical to address persistently high income and wealth inequalities that she said could foment distrust in government contribute to social unrest.
Ministers could act this week by focusing on raising living standards and creating better paying jobs through investments in high-quality education, research and digitalization, she said.


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Coronavirus poses risks to fragile recovery in global economy: IMF.

Coronavirus may damage global growth in 2020 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Coronavirus may damage global growth in 2020.

The coronavirus epidemic could damage global economic growth this year, the IMF head said on Sunday, but a sharp and rapid economic rebound could follow.

“There may be a cut that we are still hoping would be in the 0.1-0.2 percentage space,” the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, told the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai.
She said the full impact of the spreading disease that has already killed more than 1,600 people would depend on how quickly it was contained.

“I advise everybody not to jump to premature conclusions. There is still a great deal of uncertainty. We operate with scenarios, not yet with projections, ask me in 10 days,” Georgieva said.
In its January update to the World Economic Outlook, the IMF lowered global economic growth forecast in 2020 by a 0.1 percentage point to 3.3 per cent, following a 2.9 per cent growth the previous year, the lowest in a decade.
Georgieva said it was “too early” to assess the full impact of the epidemic but acknowledged that it had already affected sectors such as tourism and transportation.
“It is too early to say because we don't yet quite know what is the nature of this virus. We don't know how quickly China will be able to contain it. We don't know whether it will spread to the rest of the world,” she said.
If the disease is “contained rapidly, there can be a sharp drop and a very rapid rebound”, in what is known as the V-shaped impact, she said.
Compared to the impact of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002, she said China's economy then made up just 8.0 per cent of global economy. Now, that figure is 19 per cent.
She said the trade agreement between the United States and China, the world's first and second economies, had reduced the disease's impact on global economy.
But the world should be concerned “about sluggish growth” impacted by uncertainty, said the IMF chief.
“We are now stuck with low productivity growth, low economic growth, low interest rates and low inflation,” she told the Dubai forum, also attended by US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and former British prime minister Theresa May.


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Coronavirus may damage global growth in 2020.