Anatoly Altstein, a virologist, doctor of medical sciences, professor, chief employee of the Gamaleya Center, told whether a new omicron strain of coronavirus could cause a new wave of a pandemic by the New Year. Specialist shared opinion in an interview with radio Sputnik.
According to Altstein, the omicron strain will not have time to spread before the New Year, since this will take the virus about six months. The specialist recalled that the delta variant appeared in the fall of 2020, but began to be widely encountered in May-July 2021. He also called the condition for the end of the pandemic: for this, the omicron strain should facilitate the course of COVID-19.
“If the mortality rate of the coronavirus is comparable to the flu, then we will already assume that the pandemic is over. The pandemic has a chance to end with the omicron, ”the virologist emphasized.
The physician added that current data indicate that in most cases the omicron strain does not cause a severe course of the coronavirus. He recalled that this variant of the infection has 32 mutations in the main protein, which indicates its unstable genome, which suppresses factors in the development of severe illness.
“True, the future may undermine my hypothesis, because now the virus, perhaps, has not yet reached the elderly. If it comes, it will be seen. But so far “omicron” does not give the impression of a virus, terrible in its consequences, “concluded Altstein.
Earlier, infectious disease specialist Vladimir Nikiforov linked the arrival of the omicron strain with the end of the pandemic. In his opinion, the coronavirus has already “begun to slide into the area of ordinary seasonal respiratory infections.”
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