In a few years, the coronavirus will no longer pose a threat to humanity. Professor of the Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, virologist Anatoly Altshtein said this in a commentary to the Parlamentskaya Gazeta.
According to him, “it will take from one to three years, and the virus will become peaceful.” The Russian scientist explained that the virus does not benefit from the death of its carrier, and usually those strains multiply that do not cause death. So the infectiousness of the virus may increase, and its pathogenic properties are likely to decline, he predicted.
On November 3, scientists at the University of Texas at Austin (USA) discovered that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus accumulates genetic mutations, one of which made it more infectious, and the other makes it difficult for the immune system to function. The researchers also found a rare mutation that results in decreased recognition by the neutralizing monoclonal antibody CR3022. This mutation is rare and does not make the disease worse in infected patients.
In total, experts have noted 285 mutations in the coronavirus, although most of them do not significantly affect the severity of COVID-19.
