14/01/2021
The BBC World Service Science Hour on 9th January looked at variants and mutations in Coronavirus which have been complicating the fight against the infection. It was noted that Coronavirus has elements which behave like HIV did before modern medicines began to really control that virus – at least in developed countries. This understanding might just be a key to fighting the coronavirus, as researchers look back at HIV research over the last forty years to gain new insights into the current health issue. Coronavirus is of course, not related to HIV at all, and probably emerged in human populations from an ill animal population. As vegan and animal rights podcasts have noted, if humans did not mistreat animals in close proximity to themselves, the virus would probably never have transferred species. Back on the World Service, reporters learned that coronavirus, like HIV, is able to “hide” genetically, and evade anti-body responses. It has a higher mutation rate which means that scientists are working hard to understand how it functions and how it can be combatted. In the meantime, however, the scientific consensus is that people should take heed of lockdown restrictions, stay at home, work from home, socially distance, quarantine where necessary and wear masks in public places like supermarkets.