Study: There’s a new mutation of coronavirus, and it’s spreading faster than the original

You may find this hard to believe, but researchers say there’s a new version of the coronavirus spreading in the U.S.

The new mutation of the coronavirus has arrived in the U.S. from Europe, according to a new study. Here’s what we know from an international team of researchers.

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The new version spreads faster, but it doesn’t appear to make people sicker than the original strain.

The study, published in the journal “Cell,” said the mutation affects the “spike protein.” That’s the structure the virus uses to get into the cells it infects.

According to researchers, the mutation has almost completely replaced the first version of the virus to spread in Europe and the U.S.

They also said the new version seems to multiply faster in the upper respiratory tract -- the nose, sinuses and throat -- which would explain why it passes around more easily.

But tests on 1,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients showed those infected with the new version did not fare any worse than those who caught the original strain.

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Cox Media Group