By Reinesse Wong
The emergence of new COVID-19 variants has had people questioning how much more virulent these strains are and how efficient the current vaccines are against these new strains. So how worried should we be about these variants?
According to the CDC, there are currently three COVID variants that are circulating the world right now: the United Kingdom (UK) B.1.1.7 variant, South African B.1.351 variant, and the last variant from Brazil called P.1. These three strains have been found to be more contagious, meaning they spread quicker and easier than other variants, making them more deadly.
While these strains may be more contagious, there isn’t a big need for panic, as the antibodies produced from the COVID-19 vaccine have been able to recognize these existing variants, according to early studies.
This does not guarantee that the vaccine will be as effective as on the novel COVID-19, but it does guarantee some protection to these variants.
There are still unknowns that need to be looked into. For example, how far have these variants spread; how do they affect existing therapies and vaccines, and how do the variant symptoms differ from each other?
To ensure protection, vaccination is the best weapon against these variants and the novel COVID strains.
