OREANDA-NEWS. New strains will appear due to the large number of mutations occurring in the genome of the virus every minute. On Tuesday, January 4, the immunologist Vladislav Zhemchugov told Izvestia about this.

“These mutations occur in the genome of the virus regardless of anything - every day, every hour, every minute. Selected by selection are those that, in the interests of the virus, give it new such properties - in particular, in spreading, in a new territory, it captures. Including the displacement of previous designs, ”he explained.

Zhemchugov noted that if the Cameroon version of the coronavirus turns out to be more progressive and "gives new properties useful for the virus," it will spread and displace all previous strains.

The immunologist also added that it is "unprofitable" for the virus to kill its carrier, and the spread of strains is due to the fact that the virus is trying to "find its owner."

“I am sure we will see where he will stop - on which group or on which animals, in order to survive the collective human immunity,” the expert concluded.

Earlier that day, the Austrian newspaper Hoyte reported that a new variant of the coronavirus was discovered by doctors in the French city of Marseille. The article notes that after one person returned from a trip to Cameroon, 12 people in the south of France were infected with a previously unknown mutation of the coronavirus.

The new version received the designation B.1.640.2. In a study by French scientists, it is said that 46 mutations have been identified in the new variant. The threat or infectivity level of this strain is unknown.

To date, strains "Delta" and "Omicron" are widespread in the world.