The Coronavirus variants are here. Can the vaccines keep pace?

As the explosion of vaccines rises – or in some cases stumbles forward – in countries around the world, the SARS-CoV-2 strain has rolled out some new features of its own, mainly in the form of rapid genetic mutations. Some evidence suggests that variants of recent months have made the virus more contagious, or in one case may have been more deadly.

Virus variants are unavoidable and often benign. The new coronavirus probably mutated countless times without attracting the attention of epidemiologists. But new strains identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil and California have left contagious disease experts waiting.

Several studies indicate that the strain known as the B117 variant, which occurs in the United Kingdom, can be as much as 70 per cent more transmissible than the original virus. Two analyzes in California suggested that a new strain on the West Coast, called B.1.426, accounts for a quarter of the infections they investigated. As the news swings between infection spikes and vaccination attempts, it may seem like the world has entered a race between variant and vaccine.

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