The study, published in the journal PNAS, characterised the diversification of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic by aligning 18,514 independent virus genome sequences sampled from individuals in 84 countries, and scanned them for variations.

According to the scientists, including those from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) in the US, the analyses reveal low estimates of genetic differentiation of the virus following the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China.

Based on the study, they said, so far, the SARS-CoV-2 genome has evolved through a mostly random process rather than through adaptation to the human hosts it encounters.