Is it true that NeoCov is a new Covid variant? Facts Check

Recently, there has been news that the new variant of Covid-19 has been found. The new variant is rumored to have come from abroad and cause more severe symptoms than other Covid-19 variants.

Before believing in the news, let's know the origin and the original facts of Neocov, called a new variant of Covid.

What is Neocov?

On various social media such as Twitter and Facebook, some users spread the claim that scientists from China found a new variant of Coronavirus. The new variant was found in South Africa and named Neocov. The post was followed by a text stating that Neocov had a high transmission and death rate, namely 1 of 3 people who contracted it had died.

Is a new variant of Covid Neocov?

Ignoring news, as reported by Media Times, health experts and scientists stated that Neocov was not a new variant. Neocov was the virus that was first discovered in 2012 in Middle Eastern countries. The Neocov Virus itself comes in the bat population and is known to only spread between animals, not human. In 2014, scientists from universities in Germany and South Africa found a virus in the feces from South African Capensis bat neonomicia.

Scientists found that 85% of the neocov genome was identical to the MERS-COV of the level of nucleotide similarity. MERS-COV is an animal virus that has been found to be transmitted from the camel dromedaris to humans. Since 2012, it is known that MERS-COV has led to 858 deaths in 27 countries with a mortality rate of 35% according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Can Neocov infect humans?

Even though Neocov was asked to be similar to Mer-Cov, which could spread to humans, the researchers said that so far there was no evidence that Neocov had humans had been infected or animals other than bats. From the data available to date, it can be concluded that this virus cannot infect humans.

According to Charite spokesman - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Manuela Zingl, a claim of human infection from Neocov which is speculative and cannot be predicted based on available data.

Where did Neocov come from?

Reuters explained that the conclusion that Neocov could infect humans had been drawn without the context of the original research papers from China.

On January 25, 2022, scientists at the Chinese Academy of Science and Wuhan University posted research that had not been a proven peer-reviewed or academic. Chinese researchers found that Neocov could enter bat cells through Ace2 receptors. The type of receptor is the same as a human receptor that interacts with viruses such as SARS-COV-2 (Covid-19), namely ACE2 (Hace2). However, this study found that Neocov could not interact with humans Hace2 receptors like that.

Although Neocov has the same nucleotide level with Mer-Cov, the MERS-COV virus itself can enter the human body with different receptors, namely dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4). However, the researchers still provide advice to be alert to the potential for transmission to humans who may arise in the future.

As far as it can be concluded that Neocov is not a new variant of Covid and cannot be contagious to humans.

How to protect yourself from a new variant of Covid-19?

Although Neocov has declared non-threatening humans, researchers still warn individuals to protect themselves from new variants that can appear at any time. Make sure you get vaccination and get a full dose. If you are scheduled to take two doses, make sure you return for the second dose at the time for the vaccine you have received to work effectively.

If you are already in full dose for more than 6 months, register for the amplifier vaccine immediately. The booster vaccine will optimize and update your immune system against a new variant of Covid-19.

There are several other things you have to do to ensure that you are protected from a new variant of Covid-19. Some of these are:

- Always keep your hands with frequent hand washing

- Wear a mask and make sure it coveres your nose and mouth when you leave home

- Avoid being in a crowded room or area

- Take care of your distance from other people or social distance

- If you are in the room, make sure the room has a good ventilation

- Increase the endurance of the body to be stronger against the exposure of the virus with supplements such as vitalong c plus zinc - 30 capsules - meet the needs of vitamin C & Seng

- Immediately isolate yourself if you feel Covid-19 symptoms such as flu, coughing, inflammation, and fever