In December 2019, an outbreak of atypical pneumonia occurred in Wuhan, China. Genomic sequence analysis has shown that it is a new representative of coronaviruses – SARS-CoV-2, a relative of the already known epidemic-causing SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Rapid development of next generation sequencing technology is essential for understanding the ongoing pandemic. NGS is a powerful tool that enables near real-time tracking of SARS-CoV-2 evolution by sequencing its genomic information. Mutations occur spontaneously in the replication cycle of the virus and most of them do not persist in the population. However, certain mutations are reflected in increased fitness of the virus and represent an evolutionary advantage. We analysed the evolution of the virus in the population of Slovenia from March 4, 2020 to June 14, 2021 using 16,235 viral sequences, and the evolution of the virus in two immunocompromised subjects. We described the function of the ORF8 protein, which is a potential target for drug activity. Instead of targeting the ORF8 directly, we propose the option of targeting ORF8 interactors of the host.
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