Unvaccinated People Can Serve As Potential Variant Factories, Says Expert

New Delhi: Individuals who are not vaccinated against COVID do not only risk their own health but are also “potential variant factories” who could jeopardise other’s well being, Dr William Schaffner, a professor in the division of Infectious Disease at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre a top infectious disease expert told CNN.

The only source of the new COVID variant is the body of an infected person. The more unvaccinated people, the more opportunities for the SARS-CoV-2 to multiply, he added.

According to Dr Schaffner, every time a virus mutates it has the chances of throwing off a variant mutation that is “even more serious” down the road. He explained that most mutations do not affect the virus and some can even weaken it. But sometimes viruses also mutate randomly, which could give them advantages over their previous version like transmissibility or more efficient replication.

These viruses with an advantage will outcompete other viruses, and will eventually make up the majority of virus particles infecting someone. If that infected person passes the virus to someone else, they’ll be passing along the mutant version, RepublicWorld.com reported.

However, this mutated version should replicate and an unvaccinated person provides the perfect opportunity for the virus to replicate. The present vaccines provide immunisation against all the variants but this could change anytime as the pathogen continues to make alterations in its spike proteins, the report added.