Study Suggests New Coronavirus Is Mutating, WHO Warns It Could Kill 2 Million People Worldwide

The global outbreak of neonatal pneumonia remains high, with figures released Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO) showing that the number of people diagnosed with the disease has surpassed 32 million worldwide, and more than 980,000 people have died from the disease. The death toll is “very likely” to reach 2 million unless comprehensive global action is taken to stop the spread of the virus, said Ryan, WHO’s director of emergency programs.

In addition, a study published by U.S. researchers shows that the neoconaviruses are accumulating and evolving, with a mutation that could make them more infectious or render preventative methods such as masks and hand washing obsolete.

David Morens, a virologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said there is a chance that the current measures, such as wearing a mask and washing hands, will lose their effectiveness in preventing the virus.

When humans gain immunity from infection or vaccination, there is an evolutionary pressure for the new coronavirus to find another way to bypass the immune system. If this happens, it will become akin to the current flu situation, and researchers will have to modify the vaccine according to the variation.

Ryan, WHO’s director of emergency programs, said at a press conference Friday that neo-crown pneumonia mortality has been falling as treatments have improved, but stressed that even if an effective vaccine is developed or better therapies developed, it will be difficult to stop the death toll from rising. He predicted that the global death toll from the epidemic could double to 2 million, or twice as many as the current death toll. Ryan noted that Taiwan, a non-WHO member, has joined the Global Vaccine Supply Program and is continuing discussions with China about joining the program. Taiwan’s Minister of Health and Welfare, Chen Shih-chung, also confirmed that the deposit for the vaccine is expected to be paid early next month.

However, she is concerned about the increasing number of hospitalizations and intensive care cases, and believes that hospitalization rates need to be kept low to control the spread of the virus, even before the flu season.