While the world is already struggling with the Omicron variant, scientists have warned that this will not be the last variant of the deadly coronavirus to worry the world. As per the scientists, every variant gives the virus a chance to mutate, and Omicron has an edge over all the previous variants because it spreads way faster.
Leonardo Martinez, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Boston University, while speaking to the Associated Press said, “The faster omicron spreads, the more opportunities there are for mutation, potentially leading to more variants.”
Omicron is more likely than Delta to reinfect individuals who have already been infected with Covid. Also, it is more likely to cause “breakthrough infections” in vaccinated people while also attacking the unvaccinated.
Dr Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University said, “It’s the longer, persistent infections that seem to be the most likely breeding grounds for new variants. It’s only when you have very widespread infection that you’re going to provide the opportunity for that to occur.”
According to federal health officials in the US, the Omicron variant is so contagious that most people in the country will be infected, and the pandemic has been compared to a “natural disaster.”
Authorities said they are hopeful that the surge will lessen rapidly, even as Omicron sets new records for new cases.
The Omicron variant, which has numerous key mutations, has spread swiftly over the world and shattered records for new daily cases in the US. According to the CDC, the variant is currently responsible for more than 98 per cent of Covid cases in the US. Also, it has now replaced Delta in less than a month.
(With inputs from agencies)