It’s been revealed that in Japan, the Delta covid variant might have mutated itself in such a way that it disappeared. Check out the latest reports about a potential explanation for all this.
Japan Times notes that there are more important questions about the matter and one of them is “what made Japan different from other developed countries that are now seeing a fresh surge in new cases?”
Delta covid variant might have suffered an act of self-extinction
The online publication noted that according to one group of researchers, the surprising answer may be that the delta variant took care of itself in an act of “self-extinction.”
Check out what their article says:
“Three months after the delta variant spurred record daily nationwide caseloads of nearly 26,000, new COVID-19 infections in Japan have plummeted, dropping below 200 in recent weeks. Highlighting that drop was the fact that no deaths were reported on Nov. 7 — the first time that had happened in about 15 months.”
A mind-blowing theory emerges
IFL Science notes that researchers from Japan’s National Institute of Genetics have proposed that the Delta variant “may have fallen victim to its own success.”
They noted that the rapidly-mutating strain may have mutated itself into extinction within Japan.
According to the Japan Times, Ituro Inoue and colleagues believe the virus managed to gain a mutation in its error-correcting protein.
More than that, this allowed for genetic errors to accumulate to such a degree that it could no longer replicate.
While it would likely not be the first time a virus has “self-destructed” under the weight of its own rapid evolution.
The same article also made sure to note the fact that this is a phenomenon poorly-documented and a lucky escape for the nation.
“We were literally shocked to see the findings,” Inoue told The Japan Times in an interview.
Check out more issues mentioned in the statement:
“The delta variant in Japan was highly transmissible and keeping other variants out. But as the mutations piled up, we believe it eventually became a faulty virus and it was unable to make copies of itself. Considering that the cases haven’t been increasing, we think that at some point during such mutations it headed straight toward its natural extinction.”
Also, make sure to check out more details about the Omicron covid variant.
