Coronavirus – Moderna: Fears of “hyper mutation” from the combination of Omicron with Delta

December 14, 2021

Robert

A new super mutation could be created if Omicron and Delta infect someone at the same time, warned one of the leaders of the pharmaceutical industry Moderna.

Paul Burton, chief physician of Moderna, warned that the large number of cases of the new Omicron variant in combination with the existing Delta increases the risk of a new hypervariation.

Such a possibility, although rare, can occur when both executives infect someone at the same time, Burton told the British Committee on Science and Technology.

Covid infections usually involve only one mutant strain, but in extremely rare cases two can strike at the same time. If the mutant strains also infect the same cell, they may be able to exchange DNA and combine to create a new version of the virus.

Burton warned that the large number of Delta and Omicron cases currently circulating in Britain make this scenario more likely.

He told Commissioners that it was “definitely” possible to exchange genes and activate an even more dangerous variant. Researchers have warned that these events, scientifically called “recombination events”, are possible, but require very specific conditions and the coincidence of mostly uncontrolled events.

Omicron has been in power in London just two weeks after he was spotted in the country, and experts estimate he will be the main executive until the New Year. Asked if this could lead to a more dangerous variant, Burton said he “certainly could”. “It simply came to our notice then. Studies have also been published from South Africa that say that humans – and certainly immunocompromised humans – can harbor both viruses.

It is noted, however, that similar fears were expressed a few months ago when the Delta and Alpha strains were circulating at the same time, but the predictions for the creation of a new super mutation were not confirmed. Only three Covid strains created from genes that exchanged genes have ever been recorded, with the virus relying mainly on random mutations to make more variants.

WHERE: “No variant of the coronavirus has spread so quickly”

No variant of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 has spread as fast as Omicron, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, adding that the strain is now found in all countries.

WHO Secretary-General Tentros Antanom Gebregesus noted on Tuesday that Omicron cases have been identified in 77 countries so far. “But the reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it has not been identified yet. “Omicron is spreading at a rate we have never seen before in any other variant,” he explained of SARS-CoV-2.

“We are concerned that people consider Omicron mild (…). Even if Omicron causes less serious illness, the number of cases could once again flood those health systems that are not prepared,” he warned.

The head of the WHO also stressed that vaccines alone will not allow any country to emerge from the crisis and called for the use of all available tools: masks, regular ventilation of closed spaces and the observance of distances. “Do all this. Do it consistently. “Do the right thing,” he insisted.

Tetros noted that the emergence of Omicron has prompted some countries to accelerate booster vaccination programs for their entire adult population, “although we do not have data on the effectiveness of booster vaccines against this variant.” “The WHO is concerned that such programs will again lead to the accumulation of vaccines for Covid-19 that we have observed this year and will exacerbate inequality. “It is clear, as we go along, that booster doses could play an important role, especially for those who are at higher risk of developing a serious illness or dying.”

“I want to be clear: the WHO is not against the commemorative installments. “We are against (vaccination) inequality,” said Tetros. “It’s a matter of priorities. The order (vaccination) counts. “Giving boosts to low-risk groups only puts the lives of those at high risk who are still waiting for their first dose due to supply problems,” he explained. “On the other hand, giving extra doses to those at higher risk can save more lives than giving the first doses to those at lower risk,” the agency said in a regular briefing in Geneva.