Scientists warn of new strains of coronavirus after "omicron"

The rapid spread of the omicron strain is likely to lead to new mutations of the CORONAVIRUS, American experts say.

“The faster the omicron spreads, the more opportunities there are for mutations that can lead to the emergence of new variants,” Leonardo Martinez, an epidemiologist at Boston University, was quoted by the Associated Press. Johns Hopkins University infectious disease specialist Stuart Campbell Ray confirmed that a "very widespread infection" is needed for new strains to emerge.

At the same time, according to Ray, the omicron strain may not cause a decrease in the lethality of the coronavirus. "Omicron" is tentatively considered less dangerous than previous options, but this does not necessarily mean that the coronavirus will continue to mutate in this direction, the infectious disease specialist believes. “People are wondering if the virus will become more easily transmitted over time. But there is no particular reason for this. it seems to me that we cannot be sure that the virus will become less deadly, ”Ray said.

He noted that while the virus really cannot actively spread if it quickly kills its carriers, there are other schemes that allow the infection to be both highly contagious and dangerous. For example, a virus can be designed so that immediately after infection, the infected suffer the disease easily and at this time actively infect others, and then their condition worsens.