The infectious disease specialist of the Ministry of Health called the unvaccinated "a springboard for the evolution of covid"

The evolution of covid-19 can occur in the body of both unvaccinated and vaccinated people, but the chance of a new strain appearing is higher in an unvaccinated person. Vladimir Chulanov, chief freelance infectious disease specialist of the Ministry of Health, spoke about this in an interview with RBC.

“An unvaccinated person is like a springboard for the evolution of the virus. If a person is vaccinated, then the chance that his virus will evolve and be transmitted to someone is much lower, because he may not get sick at all and not become a source of infection, ”said the specialist. For this reason, in a population where a large number of unvaccinated people remain, the virus has a better chance of evolution and more advantages.

Read the full version of the interview at 7:00 Moscow time on January 14 on the RBC website.

The number of such “bridgeheads” can be reduced through vaccination, in which case the risk of further spread and development of the coronavirus will decrease, Chulanov argues. “Vaccination, effective antiviral agents and anti-epidemic measures make a major contribution to the future: will there be another dozen new strains or will the pandemic end in omicron,” the expert concluded.

According to research, including from Stanford University, the appearance of the omicron strain may be caused by evolution in a person with HIV, that is, in an organism with a weakened immune system. The absence of T cells in HIV patients could cause COVID-19 to stay in the body longer, giving the virus more time to mutate, the Stanford scientists said in the paper, while emphasizing that the link between omicron and HIV is hypothetical.