Top White House infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci believes the possibility of a “monster” COVID-19 variant if the pandemic continues. In a statement, Fauci said the possible “monster” COVID-19 variant would be highly transmissible.
Fauci made his statement during an interview with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski. He pointed out that the “monster” COVID-19 variant will make Delta look weak in comparison. Delta is already the leading variant in the United States and other countries and is known for its high transmission rate. If the supposed “monster” COVID-19 variant emerges, it will result in more cases than the Delta variant.
Fauci added that he believes the strongest variant of all the COVID-19 variants will most likely emerge because “There’s always a risk of, as you get more circulation of the virus in the community, that you’ll get enough accumulation of new mutations to get a variant substantially different than the ones we’re seeing now.”
This is not the first time that health experts talked about a more potent variant. In August, multiple scientists told Newsweek about a potential “doomsday COVID variant,” which could be worse than the Delta variant. Eric Vail, director of molecular pathology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, shared with Newsweek, “I wouldn’t be incredibly surprised if something else came along that’s even more transmissible.”
That is why Fauci emphasized once gain on the importance of getting vaccinated. He noted that the vaccine could help stop the spread of COVID-19 and eliminate the possibility of the mutation of more dangerous variants. In the United States, the infection rates remain high in Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee. Low vaccination rates, loose mask restrictions, and children going back to school are the top factors for the high infection rates.
The other variants that are closely monitored are the Lambda and the Mu variants. The Lambda variant may evade the current COVID-19 vaccines, and the Mu variant may be highly transmissible, may evade COVID-19 vaccines, or both.
