It’s no surprise the novel coronavirus mutates. That’s what viruses do. The big question now is whether and when it happens again.
For the first two years of the pandemic, the virus mutated steadily, from the original form of SARS-CoV-2 to the Alpha variant then Delta.
It’s possible to formulate new vaccines and therapies, of course. But the pharmaceutical industry, and the government regulators who approve new medicines, move only so fast. Lately, COVID has been moving faster. The silver lining, if there is one, is that our natural antibodies from past infection have held up much better than our artificially induced antibodies.
Since the split from the Alpha variant, Omicron “is not mutating 30-percent faster,” Neher said. That might feel like cold comfort, considering the consequences as Omicron and its subvariants became dominant. More infections and reinfections. More immune escape. It’s a paradox. Widespread immunity protects us from one form of COVID, only to encourage the evolution of new and more dangerous forms of the disease. “We are now in an arms-race situation between mutations and immunity,” Michael said.
Expect good seasons and bad ones. The immunity arms race “will lead to oscillations in levels of immunity and hence to resurgences in infection going forward,” Michael said. How bad each surge gets, in terms of cases and deaths, “will be dictated by the rate of transmissibility and immune-evasiveness of emerging variants,” he added.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Two Black Holes Met by Chance, And It Created Something Never Seen BeforeThe ripples in space-time generated by colliding black holes have taught us a lot about these enigmatic objects.
Read more »
IU football vs. Purdue What I'm Watching: A trophy, chance to ruin Purdue's title hopesAn Indiana win in the Old Oaken Bucket could restore a measure of satisfaction to a season that once looked beyond saving.
Read more »
The lame duck could be the last chance for election funding before 2024The 2024 election is two years away, but the upcoming lame-duck session may effectively be Congress’ last chance to fund it
Read more »
I took a chance on an unexpected career opportunity—and expanded my cultural horizons'The students proposed having a potluck Thanksgiving dinner ... The potluck gave us a chance to meld cultures and build bonds—some of which endure to this day—and in that moment I knew I had much to be thankful for.' ScienceCareers
Read more »
After Getting Cut 10 Times, Eagles' Andre Chachere Thankful for Latest Chance“Each day I get to come into this building – or any building – whether I’m on the practice squad or the roster, whatever it is, it’s a blessing, and I never take it for granted.”
Read more »
‘Real Black Friday’ offers chance to shop small, support local businesses ahead of Small Business SaturdayMore than 120 Black-owned businesses will set up along A. Phillip Randolph Boulevard from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday for The Melanin Market’s “Real Black Friday” event on the Eastside.
Read more »