COVID-19 has enough opportunities for mutation without human intervention, since it is able to stay in the body for a long time. Therefore, a man-made version of the origin of the new omicron strain is unlikely, said Ancha Baranova, professor at the School of Systems Biology at George Mason University, chief researcher at the Laboratory of Functional Genomics at the Medical Genomics Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in an interview with RIA Novosti.
She rejected the version of the appearance of the same strain as a result of drug trials for the treatment of the “delta” variant.
Baranova emphasized that a large number of mutations of the omicron can be associated with several transmissions of the virus from humans to mice and vice versa. Since the S-protein of the coronavirus has better adapted to the receptor in mice, she said, it is likely to be better adapted to the human.
Recall that the omicron strain was identified at the end of November in South Africa. By now, it has spread in different countries, including Russia. The head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, stressed that the department is observing the rapid development of the situation in Great Britain, in Africa, where more than 75% of cases detected every day are accounted for by omicron. “The growth rates are frightening in their danger and risk,” she stressed.
Source: Rosbalt
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
