As the novel coronavirus is wreaking havoc in all nooks of the world, scientists have warned that more viral mutations of the pandemic could cause another deadly wave. The warning from scientists comes just a few days after two mutated variants capable of contracting people at high rates were discovered in the United Kingdom and South Africa.

Another bad wave awaits the planet

Jeremy Farrar, an infectious disease expert who heads the Wellcome Trust revealed that the pandemic's trajectory is slowly heading towards an unpredictable phase.

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"One concern is that B.1.1.7 will now become the dominant global variant with its higher transmission and it will drive another very, very bad wave. I think we're going into an unpredictable phase now as the virus is evolving," said Farrar.

As the panic surrounding the new mutant variant looms up, Boris Johnson, the prime minister of the United Kingdom announced a nationwide lockdown on January 4. While announcing the lockdown, Johnson alarmingly warned that the mutant variant which has been detected in various countries is between 50% and 70% more transmissible.

"I do feel like we are in another situation right now where a lot of Europe is kind of sitting and looking. I really hope that this time we can recognize that this is our early alarm bell, and this is our chance to get ahead of this variant," said Emma Hodcroft, a virologist at the University of Basel, Science Mag reports

Coronavirus: A perfect storm with no end in near sight

During the summer peak of COVID-19, American healthcare expert Anthony Fauci had called the pandemic a perfect storm with no end in near sight. The recent statistics coming out from various parts of the globe clearly indicates that the words of Fauci have come true. According to the latest statistics, coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 1.8 million people worldwide, and the number of positive cases has already crossed 86 million.