Report: Scientists find evidence that coronavirus is mutating, adapting to humans

11 May 2020, 6:53 pm

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Scientists have discovered that some strains of the coronavirus are able to mutate and may be adapting to humans after being transferred to them from bats, The Guardian reports.

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine believe that after analyzing more than 5,000 genomes found in over 60 countries, the virus is fairly stable, but that some mutations have been sparked, including genetic changes that alter the key “spike protein” the virus uses to infect humans, The Guardian reports.

The scientists say that it is unclear how the mutations affects COVID-19, but that they do appear to allow it to spread faster.