Never miss any of the fun stuff. Get the biggest stories and wackiest takes from the Daily Star, including our special WTF Wednesday email
Thank you for subscribing!
Never miss any of the fun stuff. Get the biggest stories and wackiest takes from the Daily Star, including our special WTF Wednesday email
We have more newsletters
An urgent warning has been issued by a top scientist who claims that it is “only a matter of time” before there is a surge in cases of the new Pirola variant of Coronavirus.
The variant is fast becoming the dominant strain in the UK, with positive cases doubling almost every few days in recent weeks. It has been confirmed that it has more than 30 different mutations, making it difficult for experts to analyse it properly – but it is worrying enough that the World Health Organization has placed it on its watch list.
And as the country heads into autumn, it is thought that there will be a huge surge of cases from the BA.2.86 strain as was seen when the coronavirus pandemic was at its most dangerous in 2020 and 2021.
READ MORE: Google AI's chilling Putin and Ukraine war predictions – 'it could go on for years'
For the latest Coronavirus-related news, click here.
Speaking to The Mirror, Professor Stephen Griffin has now called the strain a “forbearer” of future chaotic strains, and evidence that the virus shows “no signs of stopping”.
He said: “The perception we’re done with it and the narrative of having to live with it is another way of saying we’re willing to deal with the damage it does.
“It’s the opposite of the emperor’s new clothes, it is there, it’s killing people, and we’re not talking about it.
“None of these elements keeping Covid where it is are stable, and immunity will wain and things can get worse.
"The idea that it’ll burn out could happen, but I suspect it won’t … if you look back, the delta variant was quite similar at the beginning and it had fits and starts, before it really got going.
Panicked Putin reopens temporary Covid hospitals as new strain rips through country
"It’s really hard to tell the future with that, if nothing else it’ll be a forbearer for other variants that could outcompete the XBB’s … we keep saying this, we keep seeing these jumps in evolution for the virus, and it shows no sign of stopping.”
Cases of Covid jumped in August to an average of over 1,400 new cases per day, having previously been at 273 at the start of July.
For more incredible stories from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
- Coronavirus
- Covid vaccine
- Science
- In the News
Source: Read Full Article