Health experts express growing concern that vaccines may not work as well on variants. By
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There are new variants of the novel coronavirus that are spreading more widely.
While mutations and variations are normal, experts are concerned about transmissibility and whether existing vaccines will protect against new variants.
Some studies suggest vaccines may not be as effective on the new variant first identified in South Africa.
New variants of the novel coronavirus have popped up around the world. While mutations and changes in viruses are normal and expected, some variants may have combinations of mutations that may be concerning to public health experts. One of the recent new variants was first identified in South Africa.
A more contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus is a deadlier one. Not because it gets any individual sicker but because it reaches more people. More illness means more cases: more mild cases, more severe cases, more long-term complications, more hospitalizations, and more deaths.
There’s no one perfect estimate for how much more contagious the SARS-CoV-2 variant called B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in the UK, might be. There needs to be more careful lab work done in animals to nail it down, which could take a few more weeks. But preliminary estimates find it to be between 30 percent and 70 percent more contagious. This variant is now popping up all over the world: in the US, throughout Europe, in Asia, and elsewhere. It’s especially concerning, considering that, in the US and elsewhere, the pandemic’s spread is still reaching new heights.
Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images
The novel coronavirus responsible for the pandemic has mutated. One variant, called B.1.1.7, is more infectious and has forced the UK into lockdown.
The variant has also been discovered in multiple US states and in other countries.
The variant does not appear to be more deadly, and experts believe existing vaccines should work against it.
But Adam Kucharski, an assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said that, in general, a variant that s 50% more transmissible is a bigger problem than a variant that s 50% more deadly. A really severe disease that one person gets won t necessarily have as much impact as a sometimes-severe disease that a huge number of people get, he told Business Insider.
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A top scientist explains why a more infectious coronavirus variant is a bigger problem than a deadlier strain
A top scientist explains why a more infectious coronavirus variant is a bigger problem than a deadlier strain
Dr. Catherine Schuster-BruceJan 6, 2021, 23:23 IST
A nurse puts on her Personal Protective Equipment before tending to a COVID-19 patient on October 21, 2020 in Essen, Germany.Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images
The deadly coronavirus that s spread across the world has mutated. One variant, called B.1.1.7, is more infectious, and has forced the UK into national lockdown.
The variant has also been discovered in multiple US states, and in other countries around the world.
About that Party Finder app: it’s easy to criticize people that are going to flaunt the regulations to have a good time. But asking young people to put another year of their life on hold for a virus that doesn’t kill them is absurd. Do remember how long a year lasts when you’re 19? You change as a person in an entire year.
A public health response that makes sense would appreciate human nature and ethics. Our public health response in the USA has been technocratic and dehumanizing. And then we wonder why we get bad results.
Lawrence Mulcahy