The new SARS-CoV2 variants do raise questions about transmissibility of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of vaccines.
Written By:
Jennifer O Hara / Mayo Clinic News Network | 7:30 am, Jan. 26, 2021 ×
This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab.
NIAID / Tribune News Service
Virus mutations are nothing new. Like most viruses, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is mutating all the time. I think there s a perception any time we talk about a mutation in something like a virus, that it s always a bad thing. And I think that s a bit of a misperception. Certain mutations can actually make a virus weaker. Certain mutations might have no impact on the virus at all. And then, certainly, there are some that may cause more of an issue, says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious diseases physician.
The new SARS-CoV2 variants do raise questions about transmissibility of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of vaccines.
Written By:
Jennifer O Hara / Mayo Clinic News Network | 7:30 am, Jan. 26, 2021 ×
This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab.
NIAID / Tribune News Service
Virus mutations are nothing new. Like most viruses, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is mutating all the time. I think there s a perception any time we talk about a mutation in something like a virus, that it s always a bad thing. And I think that s a bit of a misperception. Certain mutations can actually make a virus weaker. Certain mutations might have no impact on the virus at all. And then, certainly, there are some that may cause more of an issue, says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious diseases physician.
Mayo Clinic
A Mayo Clinic vaccine researcher and Illinois Wesleyan University graduate says he s not surprised some people don t want to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
A December survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found about one in four Americans (27%) probably or definitely didn’t plan on getting the shots, even if they were available for free and are deemed safe by scientists.
The survey found vaccine hesitancy was highest among Republicans (42%), people ages 30-49 (36%), and rural residents (35%). Black Americans also demonstrated more hesitancy than the general population (35%).
Dr. Greg Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, said unwillingness to get immunized often boils down to a lack of understanding of the science.