Virologist RAS Chumakov spoke about the evolution of coronavirus

The option in which the omicron strain of CORONAVIRUS will indeed turn out to be milder than all the others and will force out all the rest from the human population is not excluded, says Konstantin Chumakov, DIRECTOR of the Center for the Global Virological Network, WHO Advisor, Professor at George Washington University. However, the danger of the spread of the omicron strain lies in the fact that more dangerous forms of coronavirus can reappear on its basis, he said in the ChEZ program on the RBC TV channel.

Chumakov confirmed that so far not a single death from covid-19 caused by the omicron strain has been recorded. “According to the WHO, he is still behaving decently, not very aggressively. Those cases that are recorded are quite mild, ”Chumakov said.

The virologist suggested that this is due to the evolution of the coronavirus. “The evolution of such viruses that came from nature goes in two phases. The first is with an increase in infectivity and pathogenicity. The second phase is attenuation, that is, adaptation. The disease takes on milder forms and can turn into the form of a seasonal disease, ”Chumakov explained.

At the same time, he warned that the version according to which the omicron strain will become a milder form of COVID-19, displacing other strains, is the most optimistic option, and it may turn out to be wrong. The danger lies in the fact that on the basis of this strain a new pathogenic variant of the coronavirus may arise. “Still, evolution is underway, and now it has passed to such an extent that, perhaps, this strain will displace others. But on its basis, other options may arise that will be pathogenic, ”the expert said.

According to Chumakov, it is not very difficult to adapt existing vaccines to the omicron strain and it is unlikely to take much time. At the same time, he warned that a slowdown in the rate of vaccination because of this should not be allowed.