WASHINGTON: Experts think so, but they are working to confirm it.
A variant of the coronavirus in the UK has caused alarm about the possibility of it spreading more easily. But even if that turns out to be true, experts say that the Covid-19 vaccines that are being rolled out will likely continue to work in the variant.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s leading infectious disease expert, said data from Britain indicates that vaccines will continue to block the virus. But the United States will also do tests to be sure.
Viruses often undergo small changes as they reproduce and move through a population. In fact, the slight modifications are the way scientists track the spread of a virus from one place to another.
But if a virus mutates significantly, one concern is that current vaccines no longer offer as much protection. And while that is a possibility to consider over time with the coronavirus, experts say they do not believe that is the case with the variant in the UK.
“My expectation is that this will not be a problem,” said Moncef Slaoui, the chief scientific advisor to the US government’s Covid-19 vaccine push.
A variant of the coronavirus in the UK has caused alarm about the possibility of it spreading more easily. But even if that turns out to be true, experts say that the Covid-19 vaccines that are being rolled out will likely continue to work in the variant.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s leading infectious disease expert, said data from Britain indicates that vaccines will continue to block the virus. But the United States will also do tests to be sure.
Viruses often undergo small changes as they reproduce and move through a population. In fact, the slight modifications are the way scientists track the spread of a virus from one place to another.
But if a virus mutates significantly, one concern is that current vaccines no longer offer as much protection. And while that is a possibility to consider over time with the coronavirus, experts say they do not believe that is the case with the variant in the UK.
“My expectation is that this will not be a problem,” said Moncef Slaoui, the chief scientific advisor to the US government’s Covid-19 vaccine push.
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