SOS from Boston and Johns Hopkins Universities - More Worrying Variations Coming After Omicron

"Get ready to learn more Greek letters". This is the warning of scientists from her University Boston and Johns Hopkins at the time of the variation Ομικρον makes its presence in many European countries.

Stressing that as long as the number of those who are not vaccinated remains high, the virus is still in control, they believe that this "bomb" of infection from the mutation will most likely not be the last one that will concern us.

This is because every infection provides an opportunity for the virus to mutate, and Omicron has an advantage over its predecessors: It is spreading much faster despite occurring on a planet with stronger immunity than vaccines.

The virus still has the upper hand

As he says Associated Press, experts do not know what the next variants will look like or how they could shape the pandemic, but stress that there is no guarantee that the next variants from Omicron will cause milder diseases or that the existing vaccines will work.

And of course, as all the experts say, No1. The solution is vaccination, as current vaccines still work.

"The faster Omicron spreads, the more opportunities there are to create a new mutation that could lead to more variants.", he said Leonardo Martinez, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Boston University.

Recent research has shown that the variant is at least twice as contagious as Delta and at least four times as contagious as the original version of the virus.

Also the Omicron variant has the ability to re-infect more easily than Delta individuals who had previously COVID-19 and cause "recurrent infections" in vaccinated people, while also attacking unvaccinated people.

It is also reminded that o World Health Organisation Reported a record 15 million new cases COVID-19 for the week of January 3-9, an increase of 55% compared to the previous week.

Easier to develop new mutations

So apart from the fact that the variation Ομικρον keeps even healthy people out of work, the ease with which the variant spreads and the chances of the virus infecting and staying in people with weakened immune systems - making them more likely to develop strong new mutations.

"It is the long-term, persistent infections that seem to be the most likely breeding grounds for new variants", he said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, a specialist in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University, adding that "Only in a very widespread infection is there a high chance that this will happen."

Concerned that viruses do not always become less deadly over time, the scientists say a variant could also achieve its main goal - proliferation - if infected people initially had mild symptoms, spreading the virus to each other. with other people and later they got very sick, explains Dr. Stewart.

No one can say for sure that the virus will become less deadly

"People are wondering if the virus will become milder. But there is no particular reason to do so. " he said adding that no one can say for sure that the virus will become less deadly over time.

After Omicron, what?

As mentioned in the article, there are many possible scenarios for the evolution of the virus after Omicron.

Animals could potentially incubate and release new variants. Farm dogs and cats, deer and mink bred on farms are just some of the animals that are vulnerable to the virus, which can potentially mutate inside them and jump into humans.

Another possible route is for humans to suffer from dual infections (from Omicron and Delta) that could create what experts call "Frankenvariants", Ie hybrids with characteristics of both types.

In any case, in order to limit the occurrence of variations, the scientists emphasize that the faithful observance of public health measures and vaccination must continue.

Ο Dr. Ray of Johns Hopkins University likened vaccines to armor for humanity that significantly prevents the spread of viruses, even if it does not stop it completely.

"For a virus that spreads exponentially, anything that restricts transmission can have a big effect." pointed out.

However, experts say the virus will not become as endemic as the flu, as long as global vaccination rates are so low.

Indicatively during a recent press conference, the director general of the WHO, Tentos Antanom, stated that protecting humans from future variations - including those that may be fully resistant to current vaccines - depends on ending global vaccine inequality.

Source: In.gr / TA NEA