You Can Be Infected With Different COVID Variants At Once; Here’s How They Harm Your Body

For the past few years, variants of COVID-19 have reckoned with people’s plan of recovery. The spread of contagious variants like Delta, Omicron and its subvariants has continued to affect people around the world. While getting infected with one variant at a time was scary, scientists have found that coronavirus can remain hidden in different parts of the body and manifest.

According to a recent study, coronavirus has considerably changed its structure from its initial form as new varieties emerge, and it now affects human organs in a different way. The researchers also note that different virus versions can hide in different areas of the body, making it difficult for infected patients to completely eradicate COVID.

Coronavirus Can Evolve In Various Ways

The study published in the journal Nature Communications shows how the virus can evolve differently in different cell types and modify its immunity in the same host. According to Professor Imre Berger from the University of Bristol, the original virus has been totally supplanted by a series of variants, with Omicron and Omicron 2 (a subvariant) prevailing worldwide.

“We analysed an early variant discovered in Bristol, BrisDelta. It had changed its shape from the original virus, but the pocket we had discovered was there, unaltered,” Berger said.

Several COVID Variant Can Infect You At Once

The study also revealed that one’s body can harbour many viral strains. And, according to Kapil Gupta, lead author of the BrisDelta study, they can damage different organs. “Some of these variants may use kidney or spleen cells as their niche to hide, while the body is busy defending against the dominant virus type. This could make it difficult for the infected patients to get rid of SARS-CoV-2 entirely,” he said.

As per the study, this flipping shape mechanism successfully cloaks the virus from the immune system. Oskar Staufer, the main author of the second study said that the virus becomes less visible to the immune system by ‘ducking down’ the spike protein upon binding of inflammatory fatty acids.

“This could be a mechanism to avoid detection by the host and a strong immune response for a longer period of time and increase total infection efficiency,” said the author.

The researcher further explained that this pocket, which was designed specifically to recognise these fatty acids, appears to offer SARS-CoV-2 an edge within infected people’s bodies, allowing it to multiply so quickly. This could explain why it appears in every variant, including Omicron.

(With inputs from agencies)