around south africa? will it take to the world stage? here's what we know so far. it doesn't even have a name yet, one of those greek letters, because it's not officially a variant of concern or interest, so it's called b.1.1.529. the problem is it more than 30 mutations in the spike protein. that's what researchers say. it's an important part of the virus, how it does its work to get into our cells. the vaccine is designed to work on the spike protein. if there are too many variations in that protein in too many places, that could be bad news for the vaccine. the uk, japan, germany and other countries have already restricted travel from south africa. when variants have come along, say delta, the vaccine didn't work quite as well against delta as it did against previous versions of the virus, but it did still work. that's why it's so important to get vaccinated and to get boosters. let's listen to what dr. anthony