In a recent study involving over 5,000 COVID-19 patients in the US, it has been found that the novel coronavirus is accumulating genetic mutations, which may have made it more contagious.

However, the study, published in the journal mBIO, did not find if the genetic mutations made the virus deadlier.

The researchers noted that the mutation ‘D614G’ resides in the spike protein that opens our cells for viral entry.

Also read: Ayurveda interventions can be effective in treatment of mild cases of COVID-19: Study

They also pointed out that during the first wave of the pandemic, 71% of the COVID-19 patients in Houston had this mutation.

During the second wave in Houston, it increased up to 99.9%.

According to the researchers, this trend can be seen in every part of the world.

The reason why strains containing this mutation outcompete those that didn’t have it may be that natural selection would favour strains of the virus that transmit more easily, the researchers said.

Also read: China starts once-a-decade census of world’s largest population

The spike protein is also continuing to accumulate additional mutations of unknown significance, they said.

The scientists noted a total of 285 mutations across thousands of infections, although most don’t appear to have a significant effect on how severe the disease is.