Virologist Anatoly Altstein: self-destruction of the delta strain of coronavirus is unlikely Sechenov University Anatoly Altstein, in an interview with Expert.ru, assessed the likelihood of self-destruction of the delta strain of coronavirus.
Earlier, Japanese scientists at the National Institute of Genetics Ituro Inue hypothesized that the delta strain COVID-19 has undergone too many corrections , became defective, lost the ability to reproduce and began to self-destruct, which led to a radical decrease in the level of infection with it in Japan.
According to Altshein, self-destruction of the delta strain of coronavirus is unlikely, but there is a rational grain in the theory of Japanese scientists. “The burden of mutations that the virus experiences after repeated entry into the human body, of course, can reduce its infectious potential,” said the virologist
He explained that when the virus becomes too much mutations, its infectivity can weaken. Moreover, this can happen not only with the delta, but also with any other strain of the virus, but “this is always an unpredictable thing.” Altstein added that he is inclined to trust Japanese scientists, since in Japan, according to him, virology and molecular genetics are well developed.
Earlier, Altstein said that Russia has passed the peak in COVID-19, but the incidence will remain at a high level … He noted that the high incidence rate will continue until the vaccination results improve in the country. In his opinion, non-working days had a small impact on the coronavirus pandemic, but in Moscow the incidence rate dropped significantly.