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Newly Discovered COVID-19 Mutation a Test for Existing Vaccines

December 22, 2020

It’s straight out of science fiction. At the exact moment the world cheers the release of two new virus-killing vaccines, scientists discover a mutant form that’s more contagious.

Health experts worldwide say this variation of the coronavirus has been expected and the vaccines in circulation should prove equally effective against it. (Both Pfizer and Moderna are testing their vaccines to make sure it works against the mutation.)

“We’re still at the early stages of gathering data, but we believe the vast majority of people getting the vaccine would be covered (against) this,” said Keith Grant, APRN, Senior System Director of Infection Prevention at Hartford HealthCare.

Here is some information provided by the World Health Organization on the mutation of the virus that causes COVID-19:

  • This is not a new virus. Like the seasonal flu virus, which requires a different concoction of vaccine each year to keep it under control, scientists expected mutations of the coronavirus that has been spreading globally since late 2019. Mutations often occur in response to the introduction of vaccine as the virus attempts to stay alive. So far in the pandemic, thousands of mutations have been discovered. The WHO actually noted the coronavirus is mutating at a “much slower rate” than the seasonal flu.
  • It appears to be more contagious. The virus has been spreading quickly in southern England, where epidemiologists estimate it is up to 70 percent more transmissible than the original. WHO scientists estimate the variant’s reproductive rate is 1.5, compared with 1.1 in the original, meaning someone infected with the variant can infect about 1.5 others, while someone with the original will pass it to 1.1 others.
  • The variant may change how the virus infects human cells. British scientists are investigating whether the mutation allows the coronavirus to reproduce itself faster once locked onto human cells.
  • It does not make people sicker. There is no evidence the strain causes more severe bouts of the disease. Yet, researchers have found that the infected carry higher concentrations of the virus in their upper respiratory tract, which can eventually be associated with more symptoms.
  • The variant has not been found in the United States. The world, however, is now on alert to for the variant.
  • The current vaccines should be effective against it. Research continues into the effect of the vaccine, but British researchers noted that it would take years, not months, for the current vaccine to be rendered impotent against the virus.
  • Existing measures remain effective deterrents. People should continue to wear face masks, wash hands, use hand sanitizer and practice physical distancing to avoid transmission.

“There is no change at this point” in plans to vaccinate thousands against COVID-19, Grant said.

For more vaccine information, click here.