In recent months, as several states in the United States are beginning to get a grip on the COVID-19 situation, scientists have stated that several new SARS-CoV-2 have started to spread globally. Depending on which news or article you’ve been reading, you have likely come across the words strain or variant. In the context of this article, they both mean a mutated version of the novel COVID-19 virus.
Perhaps, you are wondering why there are new strains or variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the first place. Well, viruses tend to go through a process called mutation when they have been around for a while. A mutation is a process in which the genetic structure of a virus undergoes structural changes. Therefore, features such as pathogenicity, host range, and target cell specificity of a mutated virus make it quite different from the novel or original strain from which it is derived. Why is this important?
According to World Health Organization (WHO) reports, new strains of the Corona Virus have been found in Denmark, the UK, and Northern Ireland, and South Africa.
Since the virus has undergone genetic changes, there is a likelihood that the current disinfectants that we currently have may not work against the new strains. However, is that the case?
The report from WHO, states that “All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, change over time, most without a direct benefit to the virus in terms of increasing its infectiousness or transmissibility, and sometimes limiting propagation (see Q&A on COVID-19 and related health topics ).”
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated in January 2021 that the disinfectants listed on the List N Disinfectants for Coronavirus are expected to kill or render inactive all strains of the SARS-CoV-2. This announcement was made based on the examination of the structure of the virus and its variants.
Here is a short explanation of why the structure of the virus essential to the efficacy of disinfectants against the new variants of the COVID-19 virus:
There are generally three classes of viruses, but the class we are concerned with is the enveloped viruses (to which the SARS-CoV-2 belongs). Enveloped viruses are very easy to kill with disinfectants since they are surrounded by a fatty layer that breaks apart easily. The new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 are still enveloped viruses, therefore, making them just as easy to kill as the novel virus from which they emerged.
To ensure that your business premises are kept safe at all times, you should hire the services of a professional disinfection company like Safe From Spread that uses non-toxic and 100% environmentally friendly commercial-grade disinfecting products approved as safe for humans and pets by CDC for the disinfection process.