The British government’s scientific advisers have raised the possibility of a lifelong fight against the coronavirus, saying the eradication of the virus “is unlikely to happen”.
They warn that “there will always be variants”.
The British scientists, writes “Voice of America”, hope that the virus will evolve into a form that causes “much less serious diseases”, but warned that this is unlikely to happen for some time.
Preventive measures and restrictions will be needed as long as there is a “real possibility” that vaccine-resistant variants will emerge. In a report published last week by the British Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies, otherwise known as SAGE, scientists do not rule out the possibility of a new variant having the mortality rate of MERS, another coronavirus, which has a high mortality rate, of 35%.
REPORT
The report on the possible long-term evolution of the virus was released late Friday, and opposition politicians in Britain have complained that it was quietly and secretly removed by the government to avoid publicity, so as not to undermine public confidence in easing restrictions. pandemic and opening the country’s borders to visitors from the United States and the European Union.
“This report should have caused a stir in the UK government,” Philippa Whitford, a Scottish nationalist lawmaker and chairwoman of an all-party parliamentary group on the pandemic, told reporters. “The recommendations and comments made by SAGE bring the clear reality: that we have not yet ‘defeated’ this virus,” added Whitford, a surgeon by profession.
In the report, scientists say the possibility of a new variant resisting current vaccines is “almost certain” that it will. The SAGE group’s biggest fears are small changes in the virus genes that could lead to changes in its surface proteins. Most vaccines now used target coronavirus surface proteins.
Scientists are also concerned about the possibility of recombining variants to become more contagious. Epidemiologist Deepti Gurdasani says the SAGE report “makes it clear that the virus is unlikely to become less dangerous in the short term.”
She wrote on Twitter: “So for all those who suggest we should live with it and that it will become like harmless seasonal coronaviruses, it does not seem likely to happen any time soon.”
The report has caught the attention of governments in Europe, and officials in Berlin say it played a role in the decision announced Monday by the German government to provide booster vaccines to people considered to be at risk of COVID-19.
