How concerned should the U.S. be over homegrown variants?
Vaccine makers are already planning boosters to attack new versions of the coronavirus, while researchers work to figure out how dangerous they really are.
BySarah Elizabeth Richards
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Dramatic spikes in COVID-19 infection rates over the past year are most often linked to people ditching their masks or gathering in large groups. But infectious disease specialists are increasingly convinced there was another factor at play: The coronavirus itself was changing and becoming easier to spread.
A growing body of genetic sequencing evidence reveals that the currently circulating strains look biologically different than the ones seen at the beginning of the pandemic. While many of the changes to the virus are perfectly benign, some strains seem to be more contagious, and some are better able to evade antibodies, a key part of the body’s defense system.