Study Says Covid19 is Not a Respiratory Disease but a Vascular Disease

Study Says Covid19 is Not a Respiratory Disease but a Vascular Disease

  • A team of researchers have published a study that shows the coronavirus is not a respiratory disease as previously believed
  • The team found that many of the symptoms linked to Covid-19 indicate a circulatory or vascular disease
  • The study published by the University of California San Diego showed that the S protein created by the coronavirus attacked the vascular system

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CALIFORNIA - The notion that coronavirus is a respiratory disease has been contested by a study published by the University of California San Diego.

The study states that the symptoms associated with Covid-19 much rather reflect a vascular disease as opposed to a respiratory one, according to IOL. The study also states that specific issues experienced by Covid-19 patients, such as blood clots and in some cases strokes, are not in line with respiratory disease.

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Study, Covid-19, Coronavirus, Respiratory Disease, Vascular Disease, University of California-San Diego
Researchers have revealed that Covid-19 is a vascular disease rather than a respiratory disease. Image: Quinn Rooney
Source: Getty Images

The research was published in the Circulation Research journal and showed that a team of scientists found the coronavirus attacked the circulatory system or the vascular system.

The virus' S protein is said to attack the ACE2 receptor and damages the energy-generating cells known as mitocondria, and consequently damages the endothelium, which coats the blood channel, according to EuroNews.

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This has already been seen in previous studies, however, the exact mechanism and function of the S protein were unknown until recently.

For the study, the researchers constructed a pseudovirus that only included the S protein and no other parts of the virus, in order to demonstrate in the lab that this protein is sufficient to induce sickness on its own.

The S protein is reproduced in all vaccinations of the coronavirus.

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Covid-19: 12 Million vaccines administered, KZN records over 2k new cases

Briefly News recently reported that South Africa's cumulative Covid-19 death toll has risen to 81 595 with 134 new deaths recorded in 24 hours. SA's coronavirus infections rose by 7 740 in a single day on Sunday, 29 August; this is according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

The Department of Health revealed that over 12 million Covid-19 vaccines have been administered so far. Of the 12 million, 22 566 vaccine doses were administered in the last day.

A report by the NICD revealed that there has been a 17% positivity rate due to the rate at which the virus is spreading. As of 29 August, Gauteng faced the worst amount of cases with 904 590 being confirmed in total, KwaZulu-Natal has a cumulative number of 476 193 cases while the Western Cape is sitting on 483 059.

KZN sits at the highest daily recorded cases with 2 206 people being infected with the virus in the last day. News24 reported that 127 people were admitted to hospital in the last 24 hours, making the total number of people in hospital 13 090.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Lebogang Mashego avatar

Lebogang Mashego (Current Affairs HOD) Lebogang Mashego runs the Current Affairs desk. She joined the Briefly News team in 2021. She has 6 years of experience in the journalism field. Her journalism career started while studying at Rhodes University, where she worked for the Oppidan Press for 3 years. She worked as a lifestyle writer and editor at W24 and Opera News. She graduated with a BA degree majoring in Journalism and Media Studies in 2017. She's a recipient of the INMA Elevate Scholarship. Email: lebogang.mashego@briefly.co.za

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