Deciphering the evolutionary mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2; Absence of ORF8
protein and its potential advantage in the emergence of viral lineages
Abstract
To date (2/5/2023), nearly three years after the official declaration of
the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 754, 018, 841 cases and 6,817,478
deaths have been officially reported to the world health organization
(WHO) ([https://covid19.who.int/](https://covid19.who.int/)). During
this time, the global populace has witnessed the devastating effects of
this pandemic, which can undoubtedly be considered the sanitary event of
the century. In my opinion, understanding the mechanisms associated with
the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is the most important aspect of
understanding the course of this pandemic. In this respect, the millions
of viral sequences generated during the pandemic (1) have significantly
aided in the tracking of the pandemic, resulting in the identification
of multiple variants of concern.