London/Milan, Jun 2: World Health Organization experts and a range of other scientists said on Monday there was no evidence to support an assertion by a high profile Italian doctor that the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic has been losing potency.
Professor Alberto Zangrillo, head of intensive care at Italy's San Raffaele Hospital in Lombardy, which bore the brunt of Italy's COVID-19 epidemic, on Sunday told state television that the new coronavirus "clinically no longer exists".
But WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove, as well as several other experts on viruses and infectious diseases, said Zangrillo's comments were not supported by scientific evidence.
There is no data to show the new coronavirus is changing significantly, either in its form of transmission or in the severity of the disease it causes, they said.
"In terms of transmissibility, that has not changed, in terms of severity, that has not changed," Van Kerkhove told reporters.
It is not unusual for viruses to mutate and adapt as they spread, and the debate on Monday highlights how scientists are monitoring and tracking the new virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has so far killed more than 370,000 people and infected more than 6 million.
Martin Hibberd, a professor of emerging infectious disease at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said major studies looking at genetic changes in the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 did not support the idea that it was becoming less potent, or weakening in any way.
"With data from more than 35,000 whole virus genomes, there is currently no evidence that there is any significant difference relating to severity," he said in an emailed comment.
Zangrillo, well known in Italy as the personal doctor of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said his comments were backed up by a study conducted by a fellow scientist, Massimo Clementi, which Zangrillo said would be published next week.
Zangrillo told Reuters: "We have never said that the virus has changed, we said that the interaction between the virus and the host has definitely changed."
He said this could be due either to different characteristics of the virus, which he said they had not yet identified, or different characteristics in those infected.
The study by Clementi, who is director of the microbiology and virology laboratory of San Raffaele, compared virus samples from COVID-19 patients at the Milan-based hospital in March with samples from patients with the disease in May.
"The result was unambiguous: an extremely significant difference between the viral load of patients admitted in March compared to" those admitted last month, Zangrillo said.
Oscar MacLean, an expert at the University of Glasgow's Centre for Virus Research, said suggestions that the virus was weakening were "not supported by anything in the scientific literature and also seem fairly implausible on genetic grounds."
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Inna lillaahi wa inna ilaihi Rajioon.Visited him on Eid day,was very cheerful.
He was a great visionary known for his clean image, integrity and his concern for the society and the Community.
May Allah grant strength to his family and friends to over come this moment of grief
May Allah Grant him Jannat
Aameen........
Real Wonderful Man he was. RIP
As a politician he had sacrificed his life for the people and party. But his party leaders sacrificed him for their selfish gains.
ಲೋಕಾರ್ಪಣೆಗೊಳ್ಳುವ ಮುನ್ನವೇ ಅಲ್ಲಾಹನ ಕರೆಗೆ ಓಗೊಟ್ಟು ಇಂದು ನಮ್ಮನ್ನಗಲಿದ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಕಂಡ ಸರಳ, ಸಜ್ಜನ ಮತ್ತು ನೇರ ನಡೆ ನುಡಿಯ ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕ ಮುಸ್ಲಿಮ್ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯ ರಾಜಕಾರಣಿ......
ಇವರ ಮರಣವು ಸಮಾಜಕ್ಕೆ ತುಂಬಲಾರದ ನಷ್ಟ ಇವರು ಶಿಕ್ಷಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವ ರೀತಿ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯ ಅಲೆ ಎಬ್ಬಿಸಿದ್ದರೆಂದರೆ ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಕನ್ನಡ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣದ ಅಲೆಯನ್ನೇ ಎಬ್ಬಿಸಿ , ಹಗಲಲ್ಲಿ ಖಾಲಿಯಾಗಿರುವ ಮದರಸಾಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆಂಗ್ಲ ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ ತರಗತಿಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸಲು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಒತ್ತು ನೀಡಿ , ಅಲ್ಪಸಂಖ್ಯಾತ ಸಮುದಾಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣದ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿ ಮೂಡಿಸಿದವರು. ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಸಚಿವರು ಆಗುವ ಮೊದಲು ಮತ್ತು ನಂತರವೂ ತನ್ನ ಜೀವನವನ್ನೇ ಈ ಸಮಾಜದ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣದ ಸಬಲೀಕರಣಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಒತ್ತೆ ಇಟ್ಟ ಸರಳ , ಸಜ್ಜನ, ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕ ನಾಯಕ ..ಇವರ ಅಗಲುವಿಕೆಗೆ ಇಂದು ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ ಎಸ್.ಡಿ.ಪಿ.ಐ. ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಕಛೇರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಸಮಿತಿ ಸಭೆ ಕರೆದು ಸಭೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೀವ್ರ ಸಂತಾಪ ಸೂಚಿಸುತ್ತಾ , ಸರ್ವಶಕ್ತನು ಅವರ ಸೇವೆಯನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ಇವರ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜೀವನವು ಜನಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಮಾದರಿಯಾಗಲಿ .
تَمَزُّق
Allah yarhemuhu
RIP. He was anyway inactive in politics for a long time. But his departure from the active politics was a tragedy. We should not forgive Poojary, Moily, Oscar for cheating this rare politician.
ಮುತ್ಸದ್ದಿ, ಹಿರಿಯ ರಾಜಕಾರಣಿ, ಜಾತ್ಯಾತೀತ ಸಿದ್ದಾಂತದ ಪ್ರಬಲ ಪ್ರತಿಪಾದಕ ಬಿ ಎ ಮೊಯಿದ್ದೀನ್ ರವರ ನಿಧನ ದುಃಖಕರ. ಜಾತ್ಯಾತೀತತೆ, ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕತೆ, ಸರಳತೆಗಳು ರಾಜಕಾರಣದಲ್ಲಿ, ಸಮಾಜದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಧಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಮರೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವ ಕಾಲಘಟ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಸಂಕೇತದಂತೆ ನಮ್ಮ ನಡುವೆ ಬದುಕಿದ್ದ ಶ್ರೀಯುತರ ನಿಧನ ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಸಮಾಜಕ್ಕಾದ ಬಹುದೊಡ್ಡ ನಷ್ಟ.
ಓರ್ವ ಉದಾರವಾದಿ ಮುಸಲ್ಮಾನರಾಗಿದ್ದ ಮೊಯಿದ್ದೀನ್ ರವರು ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಯುವಜನರು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಮತೀಯವಾದದತ್ತ ಆಕರ್ಷಿತರಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವುದರ ಕುರಿತು ಆತಂಕಿತರಾಗಿದ್ದರು. ಶಿಕ್ಷಣಕ್ಕೆ ಅಪಾರ ಮಹತ್ವ ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಅವರು ಶೈಕ್ಷಣಿಕವಾಗಿ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದಿದ್ದ ಬ್ಯಾರಿ ಸಮುದಾಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಬರಬೇಕು ಎಂಬ ತುಡಿತ ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದರು. ಆ ಕುರಿತು ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕವಾಗಿ ತನ್ನ ಕೊಡುಗೆ ನೀಡಿದ್ದರು.
dyfi ಸಂಘಟನೆಯ ಹಿತೈಷಿಯಾಗಿ ಯುವಜನ ಚಳುವಳಿಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಬಿ ಎ ಮೊಯಿದ್ದೀನ್ ಅವರ ಅಗಲಿಕಗೆ ಡಿವೈಎಫ್ಐ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸಮಿತಿ ಭಾವಪೂರ್ಣ ಸಂತಾಪ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುತ್ತದೆ .
Rest in peace. He passed away today peacefully. But the release of his autobiography will kill three more giants from coastal Karnataka
A rare statesman indeed. Probably, he was the only non-corrupt politician from coastal Karnataka. Rest in peace
Shocking news. May allah grant him jannah
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