High Mutation Probability in Situations Where Virus Spreads Easily
CDC "Current Vaccines May Be Ineffective"... Experts "Need New Vaccinations"
[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] Following the COVID-19 Delta variant, concerns are spreading about the emergence of a new variant with even higher transmissibility, reported The Hill on the 31st (local time).
Unlike the United States, COVID-19 vaccination rates remain low in many regions worldwide, increasing the likelihood of the virus evolving through mutations.
Accordingly, experts predict that if more people are not vaccinated, a new variant more frightening than the Delta variant could emerge.
Rochelle Walensky, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also expressed such concerns by changing guidelines this week to require mask-wearing again in indoor public places in areas with high infection rates.
Director Walensky stated that public health experts are worried about the possibility of variants against which current COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective.
She said, "Fortunately, that is not the case right now," adding, "Vaccines are working well to prevent us from progressing to death or severe illness." She further noted, "The major concern is the variant that may emerge next," predicting, "It could render vaccines ineffective."
Andrew Pekosz, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, explained that "it is very difficult to predict when such a variant will occur," but the likelihood of genetic mutations increases in areas where the virus can spread easily. He pointed out, "If the virus is not prevented from replicating easily anywhere in the world, the probability of variant emergence will increase."
William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said that the emergence of a variant against which currently developed vaccines are ineffective would cause an extremely serious problem. He explained, "Developing a vaccine to respond to the new variant is not difficult; it could be done in a month or two," but added, "The problem is that the new vaccine must be administered to everyone again. We would have to start from scratch."
Currently, only 14.2% of the global population has completed COVID-19 vaccination. U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged to support millions of doses of vaccines overseas to accelerate global vaccination rates.
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