New analysis suggests that a dramatic drop in deaths from COVID-19 between 2022 and 2023 could be attributed to an abrupt phase transition in the molecular structure of the virus' spike protein. During the winter of 2020 and 2021, the US saw deaths from COVID-19 reach 250,000. The following year, this number surged by a third to 330,000.
But from August 2022 to March 2023, the number of deaths related to COVID-19 deaths plummeted to just 80,000, abruptly ending the COVID pandemic. This dramatic decline couldn't be attributed solely to vaccines, which had been already widely available since Spring 2021. Through new research published in EPJ B Marcelo Moret of CIMATEC in Brazil, together with James Phillips at Rutgers University, New Jersey, suggest that a phase transition in the molecular structure of the COVID-19 spike protein made the virus less likely to cause severe infections.
Their results offer important insights into how the pandemic ended so quickly, and could help us to prepare for future pandemics The spike protein protrudes from the surfaces of viruses like COVID-19, and facilitates entry into host cells by binding to specific receptors on cell membranes. As the virus mutates, these proteins can change rapidly: improving the virus's ability to bind to receptors, but in some cases, making it less deadly. Related Stories Life expectancy in India suffered large and unequal declines during the COVID-19 pandemic COVID pandemic boosted food diversity and diet quality in .