China’s top virologist Shi Zhengli, or the Bat Woman, predicts that new COVID-19 variants will continue to arise as the world battles deadly strains.
Bat Woman on the New COVID-19 variants
The virologist remarked that the virus became very big hence can ‘mutate and select.’ “We shouldn’t panic, but we need to prepare to co-exist with the virus in the long term,” said Zhengli as she urged people to get the vaccination. Her concerns accompany the 11 million mass testings of Wuhan residents after a recent outbreak.
After a long break of zero cases reported among its citizens, cases are rapidly rising due to the delta variant of the virus. Additionally, the Nanjing region is becoming the epicenter of recent outbreaks. Health officials have induced lockdowns and mass testing in several cities.
Vaccines and newer strains
Similarly, Dr. Antholny Fauci, the Chief medical advisor for the White House, warned that the US might face more trouble if Americans don’t get vaccinated. It is because the pool of unvaccinated people gives more opportunity for the virus to spread and undergo mutations. “It is quite possible that in the next six to 12 months, further variants will emerge,” said Ugur Sahin, the CEO of BioNTech. He affirmed that the vaccine’s first generation is efficient. “At the moment, we have a good understanding that the booster vaccine with the parental strain is completely sufficient,” he added.
“A key issue is that the current vaccines block severe disease but do not prevent infection,” said Dr. Gregory Poland. The vaccine scientist from Mayo Clinic explained that the virus can still replicate inside vaccinated people and hence spread. However, if you are vaccinated, you will be less likely to face the wrath of the virus. However, to defeat the virus(that is, to stop transmission), a newer generation of vaccines is a need. (patchhawaii.org) Until then, people will remain to be vulnerable to new strains and mutants of the virus.