New COVID variants will continue to emerge: Wuhan's 'bat woman's warning to the world

"We shouldn't panic, but we need to prepare to co-exist with the virus in the long term," Chna's virologist Shi Zhengli said

New variants will continue to emerge. This is what China's virologist Shi Zhengli, also known as “bat woman”, who heads the Wuhan lab has predicted. Nations across the globe are meanwhile battling the deadly Delta variant of COVID-19, which was one of the reasons behind India's disastrous second wave. "We shouldn't panic, but we need to prepare to co-exist with the virus in the long term," Zhengli said. She added that the virus had "become too big" which allowed it to "mutate and select". However, vaccines remain imperative, Zhengli said, stating that while vaccines can't prevent people from getting infected, the critcality of the cases will go down.  While Scientists remain focused on Delta, now the dominant variant rising rapidly around the world, they are also tracking others to see what may one day take its place.