Experts already have a prediction about the next COVID-19 variant

The brand new COVID-19 variant might be extra contagious than omicron.

Illustration by Alex Cochran, Deseret Information

The following coronavirus variant might be extra contagious than the omicron variant, consultants mentioned Tuesday. The primary query, although, is whether or not or not it is going to be extra lethal.

The information:World Well being Group officers mentioned Tuesday that the brand new main COVID-19 variant can have the power to unfold shortly as a result of it is going to work to overhaul omicron, in line with CNBC.

• “The following variant of concern shall be fitter, and what we imply by that's it is going to be extra transmissible as a result of it must overtake what's at present circulating,” mentioned Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, per CNBC.
• “The massive query is whether or not or not future variants shall be roughly extreme.”

Why it issues: With omicron instances on the downturn, there’s been an ongoing idea that the pandemic might need reached its endgame. However this isn’t the case, in line with consultants.

Warnings:Kerkhove warned in opposition to the continued idea that the coronavirus will morph into extra gentle variants.

• “There isn't a assure of that. We hope that that's the case, however there is no such thing as a assure of that and we are able to’t financial institution on it,” she mentioned.
• The brand new variant, she mentioned, might evade vaccines much more and make them much less efficient, permitting the coronavirus to create extreme signs amongst these contaminated.

The larger image: For Dr. Anthony Fauci, a variant that evades the COVID-19 vaccine can be the worst-case situation for what occurs subsequent within the pandemic, as I reported for the Deseret Information.

• “The worst-case situation is we’re on our method there and we get hit with one other variant that really eludes the immune safety. I hope that’s not the case,” Fauci advised Yahoo Finance!