According to a research study published in the journal mBIO, the novel coronavirus is accumulating genetic mutations, one of which may have made it more contagious. The study involved more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients in the US.  The research, however, did not find that these mutations have made the virus deadlier or changed clinical outcomes.

The researchers noted that the mutation, called D614G, is located in the spike protein that pries open our cells for viral entry. They have noted that during the initial wave of the pandemic, 71 percent of the novel coronaviruses identified in patients in Houston had this mutation.

An associate professor Mr. Ilya Finkelstein of the University of Texas at Austin, US says, "The virus is mutating due to a combination of neutral drift, which just means random genetic changes that do not help or hurt the virus and pressure from our immune systems".

The researchers noted that during the initial wave of the pandemic, 71 percent of the novel coronaviruses identified in patients in Houston had this mutation. The scientists noted a total of 285 mutations across thousands of infections, although most do not appear to have a significant effect on how severe the disease is.

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