Chinese research shows coronavirus has up to 30 different strains now

PanARMENIAN.Net - There could be as many as 30 different strains of coronavirus, a study of patients in China has claimed, according to the Mail Online.

Zhejiang University researchers say the killer virus has mutated tens of times since jumping from animals to humans last year.

The scientists studied a small number of patients with the disease and uncovered 30 mutations - 19 of which had never been seen before.

Some mutations boosted the virus' ability to invade cells in the body, others helped the disease kill off cells and multiply more rapidly.

19 different strains that had never been seen before - some far more potent than others.

Some of the most deadly strains resembled ones that spread in Europe, reported the South China Morning Post.

Meanwhile, the weaker strains were similar to those found circulating within parts of the US, such as Washington State.

The authors say their findings - based on just 11 patients - are the first to show the mutation could affect the severity of illness.

It is unclear why the aggressive strain of COVID-19 spread to Europe and the mild version hit the US.

But scientists say viruses are constantly mutating to overcome immune system resistance in different populations.