The monkeypox could “mutate” if antiviral drugs are overused, according to a recent warning from the Food and Drug Administration.  The virus is only one mutation away from evading a key antiviral drug being used to treat at-risk patients if the FDA is to be believed.

Is this predictive programming? Are we to expect a surge and worse outbreak of monkeypox in the coming weeks?

The FDA has issued new guidance for the antiviral drug known as tecovirimat, or Tpoxx, and it was published this week online and in updated labeling.

The regulator says lab and animal studies, and evidence from a human case of this family of viruses, suggest monkeypox has “several genetic pathways” to evolve resistance to tecovirimat. Many “require only a single amino acid change,” the FDA said.

“Most patients with intact immune systems really need supportive care and pain control, but often do not need to be stepped up to antiviral treatment,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Dr. Sapna Bamrah Morris said over the weekend, in a webinar hosted by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Is this a warning of what’s to come? Are the rulers preparing us to accept another lockdown over a mutated monkeypox virus? Anything is possible in these times we live in. If it consolidates power into the hands of the government, we can expect the situation to be pushed hard. Never let a good crisis go to waste, right?

The CDC has been closely tracking mutations in the virus to watch for potential variants that could be resistant to the monkeypox treatment. A portion of positive tests around the country is being forwarded to the agency for genetic sequencing, according to a report by CBS News.

No cases have been spotted so far of a strain that can evade tecovirimat, though the ruling class is warning of a “low barrier to resistance” which poses a risk that a resistant variant could emerge and spread.

Tecovirimat is still available for doctors to obtain for their patients through an “expanded access” protocol set up by the CDC. White House officials have touted their efforts to cut down on the paperwork in order to get the drug through this so-called “compassionate use” channel. Or, are they actively trying to make sure they have a scapegoat for a drug-resistant form of the monkeypox?

Even as cases slow, and worldwide cases (global population approaching 8 billion) have yet to top 23,000, the panic and fear-mongering continues. Is monkeypox going to be the “cause” of another lockdown? It seems like there are gearing up for several different angles. If one doesn’t work out, perhaps they’ll try another, as the public has already been sensitized to the possibility.