Covid-19 will mutate to overcome vaccine immunity, warns former WHO chief scientist

Former World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan, in an interview with the ANI news agency, said: “There is a risk that the virus will mutate in such a way that it can overcome the immunity induced by the vaccine. “

Swaminathan suggested continued monitoring should be done to avoid another wave that could potentially kill millions like Covid-19 did in the second wave dominated by the Delta variant of the virus.

Earlier in February, the WHO estimated that 90% of the world’s population now had Covid-19 resistancebut warned that a troubling new variant could yet emerge.

World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. said there are now more than 500 highly transmissible Omicron sublines in circulation – all able to more easily circumvent built-up immunity, although they tended to be less severe than previous variants.

The latest in this chain of mutations is the XBB.1.5 subvariant, informally known as “Kraken”, in a headline-grabbing menagerie of Omicron subvariants, following growing detection in the States. United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

Notably, this cyclical pattern of waves of increased infections alternating with periods of much lower transmission is an expected feature of endemic infections that confer short-term immunitylike covid.

Experts have pointed out that the recent evolution of the virus is markedly different from what we saw earlier in the pandemic. Prior to this proliferation of subvariants, there were complete shifts from wild type (the original virus strain) to Alpha, Delta, Omicron, and earlier Omicron subvariants (BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5) – each with significantly different effects on COVID transmission and immune protection.

Speaking about the effects of Covid infection on the human body, Swaminathan pointed out: “It is well established that after Covid the risk of heart attacks, diabetes, strokes increases. The risk of having a heart attack is 4 to 5% higher after Covid than after vaccination. Covid infection is itself a primary risk factor for subsequent heart attacks.”