How many variants of coronavirus are there?
There are many circulating around the world, but health experts are primarily concerned with the emergence of three.
As a virus infects people, it can mutate while making copies. Some mutations can be harmful to a virus and cause its extinction. Others can offer an advantage and help it spread.
“Not all mutations are created equal,” said Dr. Mary Petrone, who studies infectious diseases at Yale University. “The virus will get lucky from time to time.”
Monitoring variants is important because of the possibility that they may make vaccines and treatments less effective or change the way people become infected.
An early pandemic mutation fueled the spread of the virus around the world, but there had been no noticeable changes since then – until recently, Ohio State University biologist Daniel Jones said.
One of the top three variants that experts are seeing was discovered in the UK late last year and has since been detected in dozens of countries. Health officials initially said it did not appear to be causing the worst illness, but some more recent information suggests it could, something that is still unknown. It seems to spread more easily, which can lead to more hospitalizations and deaths.
Depending on the variant, it may become dominant in the United States in March in disease control and prevention centers.
Other variants first detected in South Africa and Brazil also appear more contagious, experts say.
Data so far suggests that current vaccines should still be protected against these variants, although there is some concern that their effectiveness may decrease slightly. There is some evidence that some antibody treatments may be less effective against certain variants.
There are ways to adjust vaccines and treatments to maintain their effectiveness, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert.
The appearance of variants is linked to continued climbs as infections give viruses the ability to mutate and spread. Another reason why experts stress the importance of wearing masks and social distancing.
“The fewer humans carry the virus, the less chance it has of mutating,” Jones said.
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