A year into the pandemic, we’re hearing a lot about COVID-19 variants. Reports from several countries, including the United Kingdom and South Africa, have alerted the world to new, possibly more contagious, forms of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection.
Now that some of those variants have begun to reach the United States, they are raising a lot of questions about what this means for the continued fight against COVID-19. So, this week, we’ll cover what you need to know about COVID-19 variants.
First of all, a variant of a virus is simply a mutation, and all viruses mutate. In fact, any living organism has the capacity to mutate. Any time a living cell replicates, there is the possibility of mutation. In human beings, mutation can be hereditary, or it can occur when we are exposed to environmental elements like ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
In viruses, mutation occurs more quickly and frequently, because viruses replicate constantly when offered an environment that allows them to thrive.
Influenza is a prime example of a virus that can mutate into multiple strains that all spread in a single season. The flu mutates every year, and epidemiologists – scientists who study the causes, patterns and methods to prevent diseases – watch those variants closely to understand how they will affect populations and modes of treatment.
Most of the variants a virus produces will be harmless, but some can be more contagious, which seems to be the case with a few of the mutations we are seeing with COVID-19.
Because there is early evidence that these variants spread more easily, epidemiologists will be looking for these variants in people who become infected a second time or who become infected after being vaccinated to determine if these mutations are better at surviving against the body’s defenses or infecting people with partial immunity.
Whether these strains typically lead to more severe infection or more frequent death than their predecessor remains to be seen as they are studied, but right now, they are not changing the way we treat COVID-19 or the way we protect against infection. Currently, there is no convincing evidence that COVID-19 variants are resistant to COVID-19 vaccines.
And for anyone who is considering getting vaccinated, especially for those who are at higher risk of severe infection because of their chronic conditions, these new strains should be a compelling reason to do so.
It’s important to note, however, that getting vaccinated does not mean we can stop wearing our masks, staying more than six feet from people who live outside our households, and washing and sanitizing our hands regularly.
Continuing to follow these safety precautions will continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 infection in our community, and it will work in conjunction with vaccination combat the virus.
Remember what we said earlier in the column? The more viruses are allowed to replicate, the more opportunity they have to mutate. And they replicate by finding new hosts – in this case, us.
So, by following the recommendations to slow the spread of COVID-19, and by getting your vaccine when you are eligible, you’re not only doing your part to protect others in your community but also to prevent the virus from creating new and potentially concerning variants.