Immunology scientist, professor at the Federal Polytechnic School of Zurich (ETH Zurich) Sai Reddy warned of the emergence of new variants of coronavirus infection, which, having a high level of infectiousness, will be able to avoid exposure to antibodies. This is reported by TASS with reference to the newspaper SonntagsBlick.
According to him, mutations of the strains “beta”, “gamma” and “delta” are inevitable. He noted that this could significantly complicate the fight against the pandemic next year.
Reddy explained that the beta strain, which was discovered in August 2020 in South Africa, and the gamma strain, which was first identified in September in Brazil, “have developed mutations that can partially avoid the effects of antibodies.”
According to the expert, “beta” and “gamma” will become more infectious, and “delta” will develop the ability to avoid exposure to antibodies. “If such a variant of the coronavirus appears, then we must detect it as early as possible, and vaccine makers will have to quickly adapt them,” Reddy warned.
The scientist added that the new coronavirus infection has settled among people for a long time. “It will probably last for years, and possibly for the rest of our lives,” he said. He added that the “delta” variant is so powerful that any unvaccinated person, upon contact with it, can become a “super-spreader” of infection.
Earlier it was reported that the transmission of coronavirus during public events in closed spaces can be limited using several methods, including effective ventilation and tightening hygiene measures. A model of the spread of coronavirus indoors, built by German scientists on the basis of empirical data, showed that with a faster air exchange, one person at a concert with four thousand visitors, on average, infected three to four people, while with a slower one – 25-26.
