UK COVID-19 variant âmay beâ more deadly, prime minister says
By Catherine Park
What to know about the new COVID-19 variant from the UK
Experts say current COVID-19 vaccines will likely work on the new variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom, but are working to confirm that with additional testing.
There is emerging evidence to suggest that the recently discovered, highly transmissible COVID-19 variant first reported in the United Kingdom is potentially more deadly, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Since the beginning of this pandemic, we’ve tried to update you as soon as possible about changes in the scientific data or the analysis, Johnson said. So I must tell you this afternoon that we’ve been informed today that in addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant, the variant that was first identified in London and the southeast, may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.
Scientists find 2 species of human coronavirus that can evolve to evade immune system
January 21, 2021
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The findings suggest that if SARS-CoV-2 evolves in the same way, current vaccines against the virus may become outdated
A new study has found that two species of seasonal human coronavirus related to SARS-CoV-2 can evolve in certain proteins to evade recognition by the immune system.
The findings of the study, published in the journal
eLife, suggested that if SARS-CoV-2 evolves in the same way, current vaccines against the virus may become outdated, requiring new ones to be made to match future strains.
The researchers mentioned that the immune system relies on being able to ‘remember’ the antigens that relate to a specific virus in order to provide immunity against it.
President Joe Biden's plan includes creating federally funded mass COVID-19 vaccination sites, releasing a majority of the doses and expanding vaccine eligibility.