Immunologists believe that the British Prime Minister was hasty with the coronavirus panic
There is no reason yet to panic about a new mutation of the coronavirus discovered in the UK.
This was stated by Vladislav Zhemchugov, a doctor of medical sciences and a specialist in especially dangerous infections and a general practitioner and immunologist, in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Thus, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims that the new variant of the virus is 70 percent more contagious than the usual one. Because of this, the maximum level of restrictions was introduced in London: the full operation of cafes and restaurants was prohibited, and mass dining was cancelled. public events, gatherings of more than 6 people are prohibited, and so on. Many countries have closed communications with the UK.
In turn, Zhemchugov draws attention to the fact that the coronavirus is constantly changing, adapting to changing conditions, since this is embedded in the genome, and experts regularly monitor these changes.
“Thousands of them have already been recorded with Sars-Cov-2, but none of them have so far led to anything particularly terrible. And there is no reason yet to predict what will happen. Yes, in the UK they found that their strain is 70 percent more contagious than the usual one. But if you figure it out, what happens?
One patient with measles, for example, can infect 18 people - this is one of the highest rates for infectious diseases. And a coronavirus patient has so far infected 1 – 1,5 people in his environment. Even if you increase this figure by 70%, you get a maximum of 2,5. This is not catastrophic,” says the immunologist.
He also expressed his opinion as to why the British government is making such serious statements.
“Of course, the UK authorities are afraid that the increased incidence during the Christmas holidays will bring down their healthcare system. And this will hit the government,” Zhemchugov believes.
Immunologists believe the British Prime Minister was too hasty in his coronavirus panic.