BY MICHAEL THOMAS
According to experts in the field of virology, we haven’t seen anything yet when it comes to variants and replicas of SARS-CoV-2. There was Delta, now there is Omicron and God knows what next is in the bag, but these viruses and strands of viruses have one thing in common it seems, and that is their unpredictability.
These experts are saying that they wouldn’t be surprised if a troublesome new coronavirus variant crops up this year. The Omicron variant, it is said, gained an edge over Delta because it is highly transmissible and because it can dodge the immune defenses of both injected and un-injected folks alike.
This has allowed the variant to infect part of the population that delta can’t readily infect, Kartik Chandran, a virologist, and professor of microbiology and immunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City revealed. “Similarly, to compete with Omicron, future variants of concern would need to make similar gains in both transmissibility and immune evasiveness,” Chandran said.
“There’s no reason to believe that the virus has run out of room, genetically,” he said. “I would expect that we’re going to see more variants, and we’re going to see similar types of wave-like behavior,” meaning a surge in infection rates following a new variant’s introduction.
As I go deeper into the information and predictions presented by these doctors and scientists, I can’t help but feel that they know a lot more than they are letting the public know.
On one hand, we have Premiers and Mayors taking their populations on an eternal streak of lockdowns, while on the other hand even some doctors and scientists are saying that this is not necessary.
“One big question is where the next variant of concern will come from, since it may not descend from the Omicron lineage,” Chandran said. “Omicron stemmed from a different branch of the coronavirus family tree than Delta, even though Delta was predominant at the time; the next variant may have a similar origin story.”
The public is still dealing with one strand of disease, and even though there is no known cure here we have a doctor already speculating on the next version of the disease. If I were a betting man, I would be inclined to think that these diseases are being manufactured somewhere, because they seem to be rolling out with no end, nor solution in sight, but I am not a gambler.
This story gets better with time, because even animals are not exempt from being suspects, and again, if I were a betting man there could already be a so-called vaccine for pets with a new strand of SARS-CoV-2 coming real soon.
SARS-CoV-2 can infect a variety of animals, including: mink, ferrets, cats, white-tailed deer, and various primates. Concerns have been raised that, while circulating in animals, the virus could pick up mutations that render it more deadly in humans.
Here are some more suggestions from the doctor.
In order for this scenario to unfold, the coronavirus would need to leap back to humans after infecting an animal, and in some cases, the virus might mutate so much that it can’t hop back into people, Chandran noted. “The genetic trajectory of the virus could be quite different in these other hosts,” he said.
“For this reason, scientists should continue to track SARS-CoV-2 spread in both humans and animals, as animal reservoirs of the virus could definitely be an issue in the future,” Chandran said.
As always, no matter the variant, the virus, the plague, or whatever the problem be, whether it be “gain of function” or nature, these days all roads lead to the so-called vaccine. The same so-called vaccine that was supposedly tested on ferrets with extremely good results “If you know what I mean.”
Let’s end with a quote from the doctor once more.
“What we need to do is reduce … the space the virus has to replicate, and the way we’re going to do that is by vaccinating people,” Chandran said.
According to the New York Times, as of January 10th, 2022, roughly 4.67 billion people worldwide have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which leaves nearly 40% of the world’s population completely unvaccinated.
Got the picture?