Alexander Semenov, head of the Yekaterinburg Research Institute of Viral Infections "Virom" of Rospotrebnadzor, said that merbecoviruses, which are not yet transmitted to humans, may overcome the interspecies barrier in the future. According to him, the key factor is the frequency of contacts between virus carriers and people.
People are generally susceptible to coronavirus, and the question of the transition from one mammal to another is simply a matter of time and frequency of contacts. <...> How dangerous will it be? It is unlikely to be as dangerous as the causative agent of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, known as MERS. But the fact that the coronavirus story may repeat itself is simply a matter of time. We need to be prepared for this and not be afraid.
Rospotrebnadzor refers to a study in Nature Communications, which analyzed viruses of the subgenus Merbecovirus. According to experts, theoretically there is a possibility of transmission of the virus from one species to another, but at the moment there is no reason to believe that the virus can be transmitted from person to person and cause an epidemic.
We just need to understand, work and manage the other side of the process, the protective forces of the population - our immunity. Be healthy, and everything will be fine.
The only known merbecovirus dangerous to humans is MERS-CoV, identified in 2012. Merbecovirus is a type of virus belonging to the genus Betacoronavirus. This group also includes the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Previously, these viruses were known as group 2c coronaviruses.
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