Delta Variant of COVID-19 Likely to Remain Dominant If It Stops Evolving: Expert
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Delta variant of COVID-19, which has become dominant around the world, is likely to remain in the population after ceasing to evolve, because it is becoming increasingly difficult for a more adjusted strain to develop further.
A leading researcher at the US National Center for Biotechnology Information and member of the US National Academy of Sciences Eugene Koonin said at the OpenBIO-2021 forum on Thursday that the Delta variant of COVID-19 is likely to remain in the population.
"There is certainly some kind of stability, the Delta variant has been dominating for some time (…)," the expert noted. According to Koonin, the more the virus is adjusted to the current conditions, the more difficult it is for the strain to evolve. This process is complicated by vaccination, which is actively carried out all over the world. In this case, the scientists focus on the coronavirus variant that breaks through the immune defense, they are studying this issue using computer modeling, TASS reported.
The OpenBIO communication platform takes place in the Koltsovo science town near Russia’s Novosibirsk on October 5-8 in a hybrid format. The forum dedicated to virology and biotechnology has been held annually since 2013.
The OpenBIO program includes a scientific conference, a business forum, educational platforms for children as well as an exhibition in the field of biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals.