Wuhan Virus Research Articles

Multimodal metaphor (re)framing: a critical analysis of the promotional image of China’s Hubei Province in the post-pandemic era on new media

ABSTRACT This study presents multimodal metaphors as (re)framing tools in the analysis of a 10-minute promotional video of Hubei Province produced by the Chinese government and circulated on new media platforms like YouTube, Douyin (Chinese Tik Tok) and WeChat Channels. The video introduces Hubei Province to the world in the pre-pandemic, pandemic and post-pandemic stage to erase the prejudiced “Wuhan virus” and “China virus” painted by Western media. Drawing upon MIPVU (the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universitei), multimodality of metaphors, and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study analyzes how the Chinese government attempts to reframe Hubei as a place of courage, prosperity and humanity via metaphors like WAR, BRIDGE, HAND and BACK. The benefits and drawbacks of such metaphor usage are also discussed with appropriate contextual and socio-cultural relevancies. The study provides a hands-on practice of the CDA-based analysis of multimodal metaphors and justifies the feasibility of integrating translation, metaphor and semiotic studies through the sociological theory of framing.

China and Japan: Facing History

Global pandemic realities of the last couple of years have not improved the ability of China and Japan to face history on sober, non-zero-sum terms. This is not to say that bilateral relations were entirely on the up-and-up before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was first documented in China; but in the six months before ‘Wuhan virus’ entered the lexicon, at the time when Vogel released China and Japan, the two rivals were facing each other more in person than they had in a quarter of a century. Person-to-person contact was at an all-time high. Record numbers of Chinese were visiting Japan and placing it at the top of their revisit list. Record numbers of Chinese students were attending Waseda, Tokyo, and other leading Japan universities, and the ratio of Chinese to Americans studying abroad in Japan was 40:1, thanks in part to the devaluing of the yen through Abenomics. Vogel was able to end this, his final book, on a note of optimism and hope that fifteen hundred years of interpersonal ties could triumph over residual strained relations.

Anatomy of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 neutralizing antibodies in COVID-19 mRNA vaccinees

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, administered to billions of people worldwide, mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, however little is known about the molecular basis of antibody cross-protection to emerging variants, such as Omicron BA.1, its sublineage BA.2, and other coronaviruses. To answer this question, 276 neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nAbs), previously isolated from seronegative and seropositive donors vaccinated with BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, were tested for neutralization against the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 variants, and SARS-CoV-1 virus. Only 14.2, 19.9 and 4.0% of tested antibodies neutralize BA.1, BA.2, and SARS-CoV-1 respectively. These nAbs recognize mainly the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) and target Class 3 and Class 4 epitope regions on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Interestingly, around 50% of BA.2 nAbs did not neutralize BA.1 and among these, several targeted the NTD. Cross-protective antibodies derive from a variety of germlines, the most frequents of which were the IGHV1-58;IGHJ3-1, IGHV2-5;IGHJ4-1 and IGHV1-69;IGHV4-1. Only 15.6, 20.3 and 7.8% of predominant gene-derived nAbs elicited against the original Wuhan virus cross-neutralize Omicron BA.1, BA.2 and SARS-CoV-1 respectively. Our data provide evidence, at molecular level, of the presence of cross-neutralizing antibodies induced by vaccination and map conserved epitopes on the S protein that can inform vaccine design.

Analysis of the Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta VOC in Yantai, China, August 2021.

ObjectiveStarting 31 July 2021, a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak occurred in Yantai, Shandong Province. The investigation showed that this outbreak was closely related to the epidemic at Nanjing Lukou Airport. In view of the fact that there were many people involved in this outbreak and these people had a complex activity area, the transmission route cannot be analyzed by simple epidemiological investigation. Here we combined the SARS-COV-2 whole-genome sequencing with epidemiology to determine the epidemic transmission route of Yantai.MethodsThirteen samples of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak cases from 31 July to 4 August 2021 were collected and identified by fluorescence quantitative PCR, then whole-genome deep sequencing based on NGS was performed, and the data were analyzed and processed by biological software.ResultsAll sequences were over 29,000 bases in length and all belonged to B.1.617.2, which was the Delta strain. All sequences shared two amino acid deletions and 9 amino acid mutations in Spike protein compared with reference sequence NC_045512.2 (Wuhan virus strain). Compared with the sequence of Lukou Airport Delta strain, the homology was 99.99%. In order to confirm the transmission relationship between patients, we performed a phylogenetic tree analysis. The results showed that patient 1, patient 2, and patient 9 belong to an independent branch, and other patients have a close relationship. Combined with the epidemiological investigation, we speculated that the epidemic of Yantai was transmitted by two routes at the same time. Based on this information, our prevention and control work was carried out in two ways and effectively prevented the further spread of this epidemic.

Anti-Asian Xenophobia, Hate Crime Victimization, and Fear of Victimization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

While the World Health Organization advised against referring to COVID-19 using racial overtones, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, many disparagingly called it the “Wuhan virus,” the “Chinese virus,” and other terms. In this context, the FBI warned police agencies about an expected increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the early months of the pandemic. But, while some researchers and media outlets discussed these potential increases at length, very few studies have been able to directly assess the nature of anti-Asian hate and bias victimization during the pandemic. Following this, the current study directly examines variation in anti-Asian bias and victimization in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this research presents results from two studies using a survey of 3,163 non-Asian and 575 Asian American and Pacific Islander respondents, respectively. The first study examines the prevalence of anti-Asian xenophobia among the non-Asian sample and assesses differences in these prejudicial attitudes across respondent characteristics, while the second study examines variation in experiences with bias during the pandemic among the Asian sample. The results illustrate the ubiquity of anti-Asian sentiment, suggesting that those who indicate greater fear of the pandemic report more prejudicial attitudes, as well as important racial differences in these patterns. The results also demonstrate the extent to which the pandemic has impacted individual experiences with anti-Asian bias victimization, such that more than one-third of Asian respondents report bias victimization during the pandemic, and more than half of Asian respondents report that they know someone who has been victimized. These patterns have important implications for addressing COVID-19-related hate crime moving forward.

Emergence of two distinct variants of SARS-CoV-2 and an explosive second wave of COVID-19: the experience of a tertiary care hospital in Pune, India.

The emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 in several countries has been associated with increased transmissibility or reduced neutralization potential of antibodies against the Wuhan virus (wild type). From August 2021 onwards, India experienced a progressive decline in the number of active SARS-CoV-2 infections, indicative of a downward trend in the explosive second wave. This prospective study was conducted quarterly for one year (May 2020 to June 2021) at a tertiary care hospital in the city of Pune in western India. Receptor-binding domain (RBD, n = 319) and full genome (n = 20) sequences from viral-RNA-positive nasopharyngeal swabs of COVID-19 patients representing the first and second waves were used for analysis. No Brazilian, South African, or California variants were detected in this study. Until December 2020, only the wild-type strain was prevalent. Concurrent with the upsurge of the second wave in March 2021, 73% (33/45) of RBD sequences harboured L452R/E484Q mutations characteristic of the Kappa variant. In April 2021, co-circulation of Kappa (37%) and Delta (L452R/T478K, 59%) variants was recorded. During May and June 2021, the Delta variant became the predominant circulating variant, and this coincided with a significant decline in the number of COVID-19 cases. Of the 20 full genome sequences, six isolates each exhibited signature mutations of the Kappa and Delta variant. With several states witnessing a reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases, continuous monitoring of newer mutations and assessment of their effect on virus transmissibility and their impact on vaccinated or previously exposed individuals is necessary.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00705-021-05320-7.

The Representation of America and China in Trump's Press Conferences Concerning COVID-19: A Critical Discourse Analysis

This study explores the construction of “Self” and the “Other” in President Donald Trump’s political discourse concerning COVID-19. The study is based on two Critical Discourse Analysis approaches which are van Dijk’s ideological square and Fairclough’s three-dimensional approach. Van Dijk’s ideological square is utilized to investigate the representation of the “self” and the “other” throughout Trump’s conferences. Fairclough’s three-dimensional model is utilized to reveal the lexical items that are used in Trump’s political discourse to construct the “self” and the “other”. Fourteen press conferences of Trump are used for the analysis. The data is selected between periods from February 2020, until September 2020. This period represents the period of appearance and the spreading of COVID-19. The results of the study revealed that before the spreading of COVID-19, China was represented in a positive portrayal, while after the spreading of COVID-19; China was represented in a negative portrayal. On the other hand, America was represented in a positive and noble portrayal after and before the outbreak of COVID-19. Furthermore, lexical items, such as “China virus, Wuhan virus, Wuhan labs, Kung flu, got out of control, etc.” are associated with China, to hold it responsible for creating and spreading COVID-19.

COVID Roundtable

COVID Roundtable

Immune Responses to a Single Dose of the AZD1222/Covishield Vaccine at 16 Weeks in Individuals in Sri Lanka.

Due to limited access to vaccines, many countries have only administered a single dose of the AZD1222, whereas the dosage intervals have increased ≥4 wk. We sought to investigate the immunogenicity of a single dose of vaccine at ≥16 wk postimmunization. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific Abs in 553 individuals and Abs to the receptor-binding domain of the Wuhan virus (wild-type) and the variants of concern, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor blocking Abs ex vivo and cultured IFN-γ T cell (Homo sapiens) responses and B cell (H. sapiens) ELISPOT responses, were investigated in a subcohort. The seropositivity rates in those >70 y of age (93.7%) was not significantly different compared with other age groups (97.7-98.2; Pearson χ2 = 7.8; p = 0.05). The Ab titers (Ab index) significantly declined (p < 0.0001) with increase in age. A total of 18 of 69 (26.1%) of individuals did not have angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor-blocking Abs, whereas responses to the receptor-binding domain of wild-type (p = 0.03), B.1.1.7 (p = 0.04), and B.1.617.2 (p = 0.02) were significantly lower in those who were >60 y. Ex vivo IFN-γ T cell ELISPOT responses were seen in 10 of 66 (15.1%), whereas only a few expressed CD107a. However, >85% had a high frequency of cultured IFN-γ T cell ELISPOT responses and B cell ELISPOTs. Virus-specific Abs were maintained at ≥16 wk after receiving a single dose of AZD1222, although levels were lower to variants of concern, especially in older individuals. A single dose induced a high frequency of memory T and B cell responses.

“Kung Flu”—The Dynamics of Fear, Popular Culture, and Authenticity in the Anatomy of Populist Communication

The article presents results of a study on the dynamics between Donald Trump’s use of terms that relate COVID-19 to China and news media publications concerning this use. Qualitative content analysis with elements of discourse analysis was conducted to 1) describe the case as a type of populist discourse on COVID-19, and 2) illustrate the following hypotheses with the help of empirical material: 1) News media and the dynamics of political communication based on the difference of friend and enemy help legitimizing populist claims and directing public attention toward them while feeding into a narrative of a diffuse category of threats that creates objects ofangstand thereby enhances social cohesion. 2) With resources derived from popular culture, populists exploit the culture of political correctness, which is facilitated through the ascription of authenticity. The hypotheses emerged in the course of organizing and preliminarily examining the data collected for an ongoing broader study on populist communication and its repercussions in different public spheres in view of the following assumptions: 1) Political communication is guided by the distinction of friend and enemy. 2) In populist communication, this distinction appears as the difference of ‘the people’ and allegedly corrupt elites, including news media. 3)Angstenhances social cohesion among the audiences of populist speakers directly or mediated by fear. 4) Populist communication is more likely to produce a type of fear that populists benefit from when it depicts the elite as a diffuse category composed of various interlinked enemies. Trump’s contextualized use of the following terms in the time period between March 13 and September 15, 2020, was examined: China flu, China plague, China virus, Chinese plague, Chinese flu, Chinese virus, Wuhan virus, and Kung flu. 38 speeches from Trump’s election campaign or rallies, 28 talks at presidential events or meetings, 47 interviews, 37 press conferences, 35 tweets and seven re-tweets as well as selected news media responses were subjected to analysis. The case has been successfully described as a type of populist discourse on COVID-19 and both hypotheses have been illustrated with empirical material.

News media narratives of Covid-19 across 20 countries: Early global convergence and later regional divergence.

BackgroundSeldom in history does one get a ‘front row seat’—with large-scale dynamic data—on how online news media narratives shift with a global pandemic. News media narratives matter because they shape societal perceptions and influence the core tent poles of our society, from the economy to elections. Given its importance—and with the benefit of hindsight—we provide a systematic framework to analyze news narratives of Covid-19, laying the groundwork to evaluate policy and risk communications.ObjectivesWe leverage a 10-billion-word-database of online news, taken from over 7,000 English newspapers and magazines across 20 countries, culminating in 28 million articles. First, we track the volume of Covid-19 conversations across 20 countries from before to during the pandemic (Oct’19 to May’20). Second, we distill the phases of global pandemic narratives, and elucidate regional differences.MethodsTo track the volume of Covid-19 narratives, we identified 10 target terms—Coronavirus, Covid-19, Covid, nCoV, SARS-CoV-2, Wuhan Virus, Virus, Disease, Epidemic, Pandemic—and tracked their combined monthly prevalence across eight months from October 2019 through May 2020. Globally, across 20 countries, we identified 18,042,855 descriptors of the target terms. Further, these descriptors were analysed with natural language processing models to generate the top five topics of Covid-19 that were labelled by two independent researchers. This process was repeated across six continents to distil regional topics.ResultsOur model found four phases of online news media narratives: Pre-pandemic, Early, Peak and Recovery. Pre-pandemic narratives (Oct’19–Dec’19) were divergent across regions with Africa focused on monkeypox, Asia on dengue fever, and North America on Lyme disease and AIDS. Early (Jan–Feb’20) and Peak Pandemic (Mar–May’20) evidenced a global convergence, reflecting the omnipresence of Covid-19. The brief transition from early to peak pandemic narratives underscored the pandemic’s rapid spread. Emerging from the embers of the pandemic’s peak were nascent recovery words that are regionally divergent—Oceania focused on hope and an uncertain future while North America centered on re-opening the economy and tackling discrimination.ConclusionsPractically, we presented a media barometer of Covid-19, and provided a framework to analyse the pandemic’s impact on societal perceptions—laying the important groundwork for policy makers to evaluate policy communications, and design risk communication strategies.

Do YouTubers Hate Asians?: An Analysis of YouTube Users’ Anti-Asian Hatred on Major U.S. News Channels during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has been widely covered on major U.S. media. “Chinese Virus” or “Wuhan Virus” became media buzz words especially at the beginning stage of the outbreak, which was feared to fuel anti-Asian hatred both in the U.S. and worldwide. This study examines the news coverage about COVID-19 in relation to Asians, mainly Chinese and China, on YouTube channels of major U.S. media outlets, and explores the relationship between the media framing and anti-Asian sentiments embedded in the comments beneath the news video. By content analyzing 50 news videos covering COVID-19 and Asians from 5 U.S. media organizations and 5000 comments, the findings suggest that attribution of responsibility and conflict are the most frequently used frames by the news reporting. The results also reveal that suspicion of conspiracy, rather than blaming, emerged as the most frequent theme embedded in hateful comments. One promising finding is that the frequency of hateful comments is significantly lower than that of non-hateful comments across all news frame categories.

The chinese communist party is responsible for millions of deaths and the global disaster by enabling the spread of the wuhan virus

Since the ruling party/military in China by now claim to have managed to control and halt the spread of the corona virus in contrast to the rest of the world, it use its alleged success to justify a claim that their form of rule is superior to western democracy. They also expect us to forget that the infections started and spread from Wuhan and by controlling all form of information inside the country, by now they even try to claim that the virus originated elsewhere. They are also using their economic power to prevent mentioning that the virus originated in China. Their embassy in Germany must have pressured the publishing house Carlsen to pulp the entire edition of a children’s book about the corona virus just because it mentioned that the virus came from China.

The (im)morality of disease names

This article offers a literature review of studies on disease names carried out by dialectologists and onomasticians. The analytical part focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses the names used for the pathogen (SARS-CoV-2) and the related disease (COVID-19). It homes in on a variety of names used in English for the virus (e.g. Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan virus, 2019-nCoV) and for the disease (e.g. China flu, Chinese flu). It shows that toponymic names reflect a common pattern of naming pathogens and diseases. By analysing two excerpts in which Donald J. Trump uses such names, the article shows how these can be used in divisive and derogatory ways, for political purposes.

Increased elastase sensitivity and decreased intramolecular interactions in the more transmissible 501Y.V1 and 501Y.V2 SARS-CoV-2 variants' spike protein-an in silico analysis.

Two SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern showing increased transmissibility relative to the Wuhan virus have recently been identified. Although neither variant appears to cause more severe illness nor increased risk of death, the faster spread of the virus is a major threat. Using computational tools, we found that the new SARS-CoV-2 variants may acquire an increased transmissibility by increasing the propensity of its spike protein to expose the receptor binding domain via proteolysis, perhaps by neutrophil elastase and/or via reduced intramolecular interactions that contribute to the stability of the closed conformation of spike protein. This information leads to the identification of potential treatments to avert the imminent threat of these more transmittable SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Virus Pandemic, Dentistry and the Global Scientific Order

The world had changed. This opening dialogue was actually from the Oscar award winning movie, The Lord of the Rings Part 1. In reality, starting 2020 the same dialogue became the mouthpiece for the common man, kids, students, virologists, healthcare officials that includes doctors, nurses, and therapists, lawmakers, leaders across the globe. Yes, we are in 2021 but the scars of this pandemic left behind in the minds of each and every individual is yet to heal. There are nearly half dozen theories put forth in the last one year for possible origins of this deadly virus by various virologists and WHO [1] officials who recently visited the Wuhan city, in Hubei province of central China, from where the viral pandemic actually began. This is a basic fundamental truth, which no scientist can deny. But the fact of the matter is the open letter [2] signed by 26 scientists across the globe including one from my country, where the scientists had clearly mentioned the shortcomings encountered during their current investigation and had also explained the requirements still needed for fair, open, transparent probe. The investigators had no access to critical and sensitive information including the old initial positive patient samples of Wuhan virus. The reasons for these hurdles are quite obvious. WHO had scrapped plans of tabling interim report on the origins of this virus [3]. The single most mind throbbing question is whether this Pandemic was indeed an avoidable or at least preventable in the very early stages, from global spread if air travel could had been brought under tremendous restrictions across the globe, given the fact there was unrestricted, usual type of travel observed in early first quarter of 2020. The current global spread had been directly attributed to the lack of dissemination of evolving scientific information from local authorities of Wuhan city and from the top leadership of China at that point of time. At this point I am reminded of the information on pandemic systemic failure across the globe [4]. Another recent information I came across was, about a poll conducted across scientific community where they had indicated the current pandemic most likely to exist as an endemic [5]. Recently a study published in PLOS Biology journal explains the fact that after assessment of over a thousand genomic sequences of the COVID viruses, authors had clearly stated properties acquired by this virus have evolved in bats prior to spillover to humans [6]. Dentistry remains one of the worst hit field across the globe because of the droplet mode of spread of the virus which was acknowledged by WHO in first half of 2020 [7]. Nevertheless after evolving evidences on aseptic clinical practices and their role in dental practice coupled with patient selection criterias, currently the situation in dental treatment has changed from psychological fear to evidence based [8-16]. The world woke up after the rude shock of tsunami in 2004, and subsequently it led to the establishement of tsunami warning systems. Similarly, this current pandemic had shaken the globe and had brought about the need to have a global surveillance mechanism or a system to monitor the spread of new forms of viruses from any part of the world. All wet markets across the globe, animal farm houses, mountains harbouring bats should be under biotechnology driven scientific scrutiny. Hoping that to happen soon, it should become a reality. Please do remember that currently our earth is the only viable planet for human life, in our entire solar syatem and in our milky way galaxy. High time, to decontaminate various pollutants including this pandemic biothreat and for that to happen, world countries need to become really serious about their national health policies. This pandemic had indeed given a lesson for all of us to learn on management of Public health crisis [17]. Former WHO director general had also explained on four points for dealing with resolving of global health crisis [18]. Better late than never. Let us save our planet and the future generations.

Asian Americans’ Communicative Responses to COVID-19 Discrimination in Application of Co-Cultural Theory

Early news coverage of COVID-19 influenced public suspicions of Asians as being the origin and carriers of the disease, and stigmatizing and racist terms (e.g., “Kung flu”, “Chinese virus”, “Wuhan virus”) have been improperly used to refer to the virus. The racist rhetoric, accompanied by increasing verbal and physical attacks, has impacted the lives of Asian Americans during the pandemic. The present study investigates targeted Asian Americans’ communication responding to the aggressors of COVID-19 racism in application of co-cultural communication theory. Targeted individuals’ characteristics and previous experience of racial discrimination are tested as determinants of such communicative responses. Data come from 242 Asians across the U.S. who reported having experienced racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the three identified types of communication responses, the nonassertive approach was used most intensively by Asian Americans in responding to COVID-19 racism, followed by the assertive and aggressive ones. Salient ethnic identity and previous discrimination experience were associated with a higher level of nonassertive and a lower level of aggressive approach. Males were more likely to practice assertive approaches. Our findings contribute to the extension of the co-cultural communication framework in explaining Asian Americans’ communicative responses to pandemic-fueled racism.

US media’s coverage of China’s handling of COVID-19: Playing the role of the fourth branch of government or the fourth estate?

The present study is an analysis of a sample of reports on China’s handling of COVID-19 by several major US media with a focus on a controversial op-ed by the Wall Street Journal. It is found that instead of covering it objectively as a public health crisis, these media reports tend to adopt the strategy of naming, shaming, blaming, and taming against China. In other words, they seize the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan as an opportunity to serve Trump’s “America First” doctrine by a coordinated attempt to destroy the Chinese dream and arresting China’s ascendency. First, the naming/shaming technique is used to tarnish China’s image as a virus. The op-ed on the Wall Street Journal describes China as “the real sick man of Asia.” In addition, a cluster of ferociously negative names are slung onto China to describe the coronavirus as “the Wuhan virus,” “the Belt &amp; Road Initiative pandemic,” “the China virus,” and so on. Second, the blaming technique is applied. On top of such negative name-calling, these media tend to blame the Chinese leadership, the political system, and finally Chinese food culture for eating pangolins. Finally, the taming technique is used to constrain, isolate, or quarantine China. One goal behind such a China threat strategy is to fan American or foreign businesses to move (back) to the United States out of China. Another goal is to create the public opinion environment that would be conducive to some American groups’ litigations against China. It is concluded that American mainstream media while quarreling with the Trump administration for domestic affairs seem to be colluding with the conservative intellectual base in the United States in supporting Trump’s strategy to knock down and divide China.

Why Wuhan? What the Circumstantial Evidence Says About the Origins of COVID-19

In the absence of direct evidence on the immediate origins of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, the theories of the case are based on circumstantial evidence. The identification of the first cluster of cases in a wet market in Wuhan naturally focused attention on the leap from animal to human having taken place there. The proximity to the wet market of a biological lab naturally prompted a theory of a lab leak. After it was determined that there were earlier cases than those associated with the wet market, the circumstantial evidence for both these theories was undermined. Meanwhile, irrefutable evidence emerged that the virus mutates readily and gains function on its own. There were no wet markets or biological labs associated with the emergence of the European strain that devastated Italy and Spain and later New York. Nor was there a wet market or biological lab in Kent where the UK strain that devastated that country later emerged. The same is true for Manaus in Brazil whence P1 emerged in a population in which three-quarters of the people had antibodies against previous strains, not to mention South Africa, or India where the latest and most virulent version emerged. In this context, the key piece of circumstantial evidence becomes timing. Epidemiological modeling dates the start of the outbreak in Wuhan to the window between mid-October and mid-November. The 7th World Military Games held from 18 to 27 October 2019 in Wuhan, which brought together nearly 10,000 athletes from over 100 countries, took place in this window. Importantly, this period witnessed elevated numbers of hospital visits in Wuhan and web searches for symptoms also associated with COVID-19. The games thus provided a unique opportunity for a mutation, possibly through recombination, a well-established property of coronaviruses, which then launched the COVID-19 pandemic proper. The departing athletic teams then carried the virus to Europe, explaining the parallel timing: even as the first identification of a novel disease in Wuhan was made on 27 December when three connected cases of unknown pneumonia were reported, retrospective forensic analysis identified a patient in France with COVID-19, also on 27 December 2019. A number of other studies suggest the virus had already spread internationally prior to its identification in Wuhan. The WHO mission investigating the origins of COVID-19 has left open this avenue as a possibility. The circumstantial evidence powerfully supports the hypothesis that the Wuhan virus was in fact the first variant.

Structural Consequences of Variation in SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7.

New globally circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains are causing concern about evolution of virus transmissibility, fitness and immune evasion mechanisms. A variant emerging from the United Kingdom called SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01, or B.1.1.7, is thought to exhibit increased transmissibility that results from replication 4–10 times faster than the original Wuhan virus (Wuhan-Hu-1). Although this property is suspected to result from a specific mutation in the spike glycoprotein, D614G, there are 9 mutations that distinguish the UK variant B.1.1.7 from Wuhan-Hu-1 yet to be evaluated for functional effects. We asked if mutated positions fixed in UK variant B.1.1.7 may be involved in the virus life cycle, or evasion of the immune response, by modeling the UK variant spike protein and conducting structural analysis of mutations on the spike glycoprotein trimer (protomer) complexed to ACE2. Importantly, 4 out of 9 differences between the UK variant B.1.1.7 and Wuhan-Hu-1 spike protein alter direct intermolecular interactions. N501Y increased affinity between the spike protein and ACE2. The mutations at A570D, D614G and S982A reduced contact between individual chains of the trimeric spike protomer, potentially enhancing cleavage into S1 and S2 subunits, dynamic structural rearrangement and host cell fusion mechanisms. These data suggest that combined characteristics of mutations unique to UK variant B.1.1.7 enable high affinity binding to ACE2 and enhanced replication properties. The D614G mutation, associated with enhanced virus transmissibility, opens a potentially druggable structural pocket at the interface between spike glycoprotein subunits S1 and S2.