Will COVID-19 vaccines work on the new coronavirus variant?
Experts believe this, but they are confirming it.
A coronavirus variant in the UK has sounded the alarm due to the possibility that it could spread more easily. But even if this turns out to be true, experts say the COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out are likely to continue to work on the variant.
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Dr Anthony Fauci, the leading US expert in infectious diseases, said that the information coming from Britain indicated that the vaccines would still block the virus. But the US will also be sure to do tests.
Viruses often undergo small changes as they reproduce and move through a population. In fact, the minor modifications are how scientists track the spread of a virus from one place to another.
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But if a virus mutates significantly enough, one concern is that current vaccines no longer offer as much protection. And while it’s a possibility to keep an eye on the coronavirus over time, experts say they do not believe that will be the case with the variant in the UK.
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“My expectation is that this will not be a problem,” said Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser to the US government’s COVID-19 vaccine.