GENEVA, August 22. / TASS /. Immunology scientist, professor at the Federal Polytechnic School of Zurich (ETH Zurich) Sai Reddy predicts the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus, which, having a high level of infectiousness, will be able to avoid exposure to antibodies. In an interview published Sunday in the newspaper SonntagsBlick, he called the corresponding mutation of the beta, gamma and delta strains of SARS-CoV-2 “imminent”, which could significantly complicate the fight against the pandemic in 2022.
As Reddy explained, the “beta” strain, discovered last August in South Africa, and the “gamma” strain, which was first identified in September in Brazil, “have developed mutations that can partially avoid exposure to antibodies.” As for the delta variant, it “is much more contagious, but has not yet formed” such mutations. The scientist said that he considers the next stage of mutation “inevitable”: “beta” and “gamma” “will become more infectious, and” delta “will develop the ability to avoid [exposure to antibodies]”. “This will become a big problem next year,” the immunologist stated, adding that the situation in 2022 “could be even worse” than it is now. “If such a variant of the coronavirus appears, then we need to detect it as early as possible, and vaccine makers will have to quickly adapt them,” Reddy said.
Asked about what to expect from the coronavirus pandemic in the coming fall and winter, the professor said that “it will be a difficult six months”, since it is not yet possible to control the delta strain, and the vaccination rate is not yet high enough. According to him, “if the level of vaccination is not significantly increased, the number of cases [of coronavirus infection] and hospitalizations will rise at least as much as last year.” According to the scientist, if now Switzerland did not have the current vaccination coverage of more than 50%, then “it would be a disastrous summer – like in India or Brazil.”
According to Reddy, SARS-CoV-2 has settled among humans “for a long time.” “It will probably last for years, and perhaps for the rest of our lives,” he predicted. The scientist emphasized that the “delta” variant is so strong that any unvaccinated person, upon contact with it, “can become a super-spread” of the infection. This applies in particular to children under 12 years of age who are currently not eligible for vaccination in Switzerland. As soon as there is evidence that vaccinations are safe for this age group, “a massive vaccination campaign should be launched,” the immunologist said.
