Why are there many variants of viruses for example covid it has the delta variant and omicron variant how do viruses mutate and make new variants
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Viruses have forms of DNA, just like we do. During the process in which DNA is replicated, there are mistakes that can be made in the genetic code. Viruses also do not have a protein that we have that double-checks the DNA to make sure there aren’t mistakes. This means that as Viruses spread and replicate, they end up mutating rather quickly and frequently in comparison to mutations in human cells that don’t replicate as often and have a code-checking system in place.
This is how variants are formed, and is also the reason why we need a flu shot every year. The flu is evolving every year due to new mutations occuring randomly. Thus, we need a new medication to treat it every year.
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