Days following some scientists warned that the global whirlwind of the omicron mutant demonstrates that it will not be the latest version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is classified as “alarming”, the World Health Organization (WHO) says experts have no clear vision. Regarding the evolution of the Corona virus so far, as is the case with the influenza virus.
According to a report published by the Live Mint website, the SARS-Cove-2 virus continues to evolve and mutate, which prompts the question of what the next form of the virus will be.
“We don’t have the same predictive power as we currently do with influenza,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist and COVID-19 technical officer at the World Health Organization.
To provide more clarification on her statement, Dr. Maria posted a tweet on the Twitter platform, saying: “In order to deal with the virus, the world needs more data regarding the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS), meaning that there is a “predictability” of flu virus mutations. It is expected to spread seasonally. But there is no seasonal forecast for Covid-19 so far as it develops differently, noting that, globally, there is a need for integrated surveillance for respiratory diseases with the same GISRS.”
“The faster the omicron spreads, the higher the chances of mutations, which can lead to more variants,” said Leonardo Martinez, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Boston University.
“Long-term, persistent infection appears to be [التي ترجح الفرضية] Most likely to reproduce new species,” adding that “the opportunity for new variants to emerge only exists when there is a very widespread infection.”
And because the omicron mutant appears to cause less serious disease than the delta mutant, its behavior has raised hope that it might be the start of a trend that will eventually make the virus milder like the common cold.
Some experts argue that a milder virus is likely, especially since mutations do not spread widely if they kill their hosts very quickly, but viruses do not always become less deadly over time.
While millions around the world are wondering whether the virus will develop into milder stages, Ray said that “there is no specific reason for this,” expressing his belief that “we can be confident that the virus will become less deadly over time.”
Gradual improvement in immune evasion helps the virus survive long-term. When SARS-CoV-2 first started spreading, there were no vaccines or natural immunity. But infections and vaccines have given at least some immunity to much of the world’s population, so the mutant is the virus’s attempts to adapt.
For this reason, experts have urged that vaccination be expanded now, while available vaccines are still effective.
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