By Wyatt McInerney
The new problem with COVID-19 is not just stopping the spread, but new and dangerous strands. A little bit ago, a new strand in the U.K was discovered, but now another one has been found in South Africa. This mutation makes the virus about 50% more contagious than the original strain. The vaccines are indeed believed to be less effective on this new strain leading to worries about when this pandemic will truly be over.
It is said that it is unlikely for this certain mutation to “render the vaccine completely useless” (BBC) but it is probably not as effective. This virus is spreading like wildfire, and is already in over 20 different countries, including the U.S.
From the very beginning of this disease, the end goal has been herd immunity. Herd immunity is when 70-90% are protected due to the vaccine or having recovered from COVID. By achieving this, not only will the majority of the population just be protected and it will stop spreading, but fewer mutations of this virus will occur as well.
Just like the South African variant, every time someone gets COVID-19 it mutates and a new variant is made. If 70-90% of the population can be protected and stop getting this disease, fewer variants/mutations will happen, finally putting this disease to bed.
As we can all see, herd immunity is not an easy thing to achieve. We finally have the vaccine and it is vital to get this out to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. Even with this, problems seem to be around every corner. Many obstacles have come when even just signing up to make an appointment to get this vaccine. From people not being able to get on the phone with someone, the websites being down, or even people not having the technology to sign up for appointments, this has been another headache.
Behind the scenes, many unused vaccines have been discarded because they spoil if they’re removed from cold storage.
While we are certainly on our way to getting rid of this horrible virus, there are some more obstacles in our way. If we can all stay safe and continue to practice social distancing, experts believe we can help our doctors and frontline workers to eradicate this disease.
