HOW WAS THE NEW VIRUS BORN? IT IS NAMED AFTER THE GREEK ALPHABET

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HOW WAS THE NEW VIRUS BORN? IT IS NAMED AFTER THE 15TH OF THE GREEK ALPHABET. HE TAKES IT FROM THE LETTER

The work goes around the world until the epidemic is said to be over, and again our three musketeers come to the mask, distance, cleanliness (Athos, Portos, Aramis ) and vaccine (D’artagnan). If the pandemic doesn’t end, if the virus is renewing itself by saying that I will exist, it means that we will continue to fight endlessly. Nowadays, we often hear the name of the latest variant. This variant, which was first detected in South Africa on November 24 and was given the name omikron, the fifteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, by the World Health Organization, has alarmed the whole world.

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HOW WAS THE NEW CORONAVIRUS BORN?

Viruses are constantly changing with a number of events that occur genetically. From these changes, relatively mild genetic changes that occur after an error occurs in the genome of the virus, that is, its genetic material, and basically leave the virus the same, are called mutations. Recombination, aka reunification, occurs when a new type of virus appears after the exchange of genetic information of simultaneously infected viruses. It was said that the new coronavirus or SARS-Cov-2, which caused the Covid-19 pandemic, also appeared after the recombination of a virus found in bats with another virus in an intermediary animal, that is, recombination, and thus acquired the ability to make a person sick.

The mutation feature occurs more especially in RNA viruses. Since the new coronavirus is also an RNA virus, frequent mutation is one of the main characteristics of this virus. Viruses cannot live in an environment alone. In order for them to live, they need to enter the cell of another living being and continue their lives by multiplying there. For this reason, as soon as they enter the cell, they also begin to multiply rapidly. In this case, they also make mistakes during the hasty reproduction. Here, the mutation is also born due to this error. That’s exactly why we keep repeating that we should protect ourselves from the disease, get our vaccine, prevent transmission. Because the more people have the virus, the more people get sick, the more people are at risk of encountering mutations.

To date, there have been many mutations of the Greek alphabet called letters, and this virus makes a person wish that this alphabet consisting of 24 letters was shorter. Joking aside, until this epidemic is over, it is necessary to take the job seriously and take all the necessary measures completely.

Let’s talk about some of the variants of the novel coronavirus that have appeared with mutations that it has undergone to date. The World Health Organization has identified some of these variants as alarming (VOC) and some as being monitored (VOI). Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants, which have been designated as an “Alarming Variant” to date, have now been added to the omikron variant. The ones listed as “The Variant that Should be Followed” are Epsilon (there are two variants of this name), Zeta, Eta, Theta, Lota, Kappa and Lambda variants, whose names are again selected from the Greek alphabet.

Of the alarming variants, the alpha variant (B.1.1.7) was first detected in the UK in September 2020. it was observed that it is 43-90% more contagious. He soon became the dominant type in England. The beta variant (B.1,351) was first detected in South Africa in October 2020. It was observed that it was spread more among young people who had no previous history of acute illness, which a risk of serious illness. The Delta variant (B.1.167.2) was first detected in India in October 2020. It was found that the second wave of the epidemic, in which the daily number of cases starting in March in India reached up to four hundred thousand, was responsible, and the rate of spread was 51-67% higher than in the alpha variant. So it has become the dominant variant in many places around the world. Delta Plus, a derivative mutation that first appeared in Nepal in April, is a subtype of the Delta variant and is the MOON.4.2. it is encoded as. Delta plus (plus), as it is called, is up to 10 percent more contagious even than delta. Although it may seem like a figure of less than ten percent, considering that the delta is very contagious, we are faced with a species that is even more contagious than it is.

Gamma (P.January 1) variant was deciphered for the first time in Japan in January 2020 among passengers from Brazil. It is known that this variant causes 17 changes in the amino acids of the virus. Last detected in South Africa on November 24, Omicron (B.1.1.529), 32 mutations were detected in the spike, that is, the thorn protein, and 10 mutations were detected in the protein that allows entry into the cell. As with every new mutation that develops, this time the virus, whose contagiousness is increasing even more, has again created the idea of scaring us and making us go back to the beginning. It will never be useful to panic in any case, and there is neither the place nor the time here. Because some of the scientists also think that this mutation can turn a COVID-19 infection into a simple seasonal cold. In fact, we don’t know exactly how the disease caused by this variant will progress. It can go either good or bad.

It’s too early to give any clear information, it’s necessary to wait a few more weeks. With the most optimistic opinion, it can also bring about the end of the virus. Because this virus also wants to live. Whether it is due to nature, say, or instinctively renewing itself non-stop, especially mutating from spike proteins where vaccines are developed to create different variants, it makes you think in this direction whether you want to or not. I don’t know if the virus also has a mind, but if there is a little bit of it, I hope it has finally undergone a mutation that will live its life beautifully without killing it by getting along with people brother and sister. If you pay attention, variants that increase the contagiousness and are alarming have usually always appeared in winter or autumn. There are months when the weather cools down, vitamin D stores decrease, immunity decreases, enclosed spaces become crowded.

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President of Organ Transplant Center at MedicalPark Hospital Antalya

Turkey's world-renowned organ transplant specialist. Dr. Demirbaş has 104 international publications and 102 national publications.

Physician's Resume:

Born on August 7, 1963 in Çorum, Prof. Dr. Alper Demirbaş has been continuing his work as the President of MedicalPark Antalya Hospital Organ Transplantation Center since 2008.

Prof. who performed the first tissue incompatible kidney transplant in Turkey, the first blood type incompatible kidney transplant, the first kidney-pancreas transplant program and the first cadaveric donor and live donor liver transplant in Antalya. Dr. As of August 2016, Alper Demirbaş has performed 4900 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants and 95 pancreas transplants.

In addition to being the chairman of 6 national congresses, he has also been an invited speaker at 12 international and 65 national scientific congresses. Dr. Alper Demirbaş was married and the father of 1 girl and 1 boy.

Awards:

Eczacibasi Medical Award of 2002, Akdeniz University Service Award of 2005, Izder Medical Man of the Year Award of 2006, BÖHAK Medical Man of the Year Award of 2007, Sabah Mediterranean Newspaper Scientist of the Year Award of 2007, ANTIKAD Scientist of the Year Award of 2009, Social Ethics Association Award of 2010, Işık University Medical Man of the Year Award of 2015, VTV Antalya's Brand Value Award of 2015.

Certificates:

Doctor of Medicine Degree Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, General Surgeon Ministry of Health Turkey EKFMG (0-477-343-8), University of Miami School of Medicine Member of Multiple Organ Transplant, ASTS Multiorgan Transplant Scholarship. Lecturer at Kyoto University. Lecturer at University of Essen, Research assistant at the University of Cambridge .

Professional Members:

American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplantation Society Nominated, Middle East and Southern Africa Council Transplantation Society 2007, International Liver Transplantation Association, Turkish Transplantation Association, Turkish Society of Surgery, Turkish Hepatobiliary Surgery Association.

Disclaimer:

Our website contents consist of articles approved by our Web and Medical Editorial Board with the contributions of our physicians. Our contents are prepared only for informational purposes for public benefit. Be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Medically Reviewed by Professor Doctor Alper Demirbaş
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