'More strains may emerge as virus prone to mutations'

The novel coronavirus is clearly prone to mutations and the world may see new strains emerging in the future, a leading infectious disease expert in Turkey warned on Saturday.

“The most important factor increasing the risk of mutations is the spread of the virus. It is currently prone to new mutations,” Dr. Ismail Balik, head of the infectious diseases department at Ankara University, said in a conversation with Anadolu Agency. “The more the virus spreads in a place, the higher the probability of a unique mutation. A mutation specific to Turkey may also emerge; if so, research must be done accordingly.”