The longer it takes to vaccinate people, the likelier it is that a variant that could elude current coronavirus tests, treatments and vaccines will emerge.
Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge.
New COVID-19 challenge: Mutations rise along with coronavirus cases inquirer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inquirer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jan 19, 2021
FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2021, file photo a pharmacist draws saline while preparing a dose of Pfizer s COVID-19 vaccine in Sacramento, Calif. Mutations to the virus are rapidly popping up and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, Pool, File)
The race against the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken a new turn: Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge.
January 20, 2021
Marilynn Marchione
AP – The race against the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken a new turn: Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge.
The coronavirus is becoming more genetically diverse, and health officials said the high rate of new cases is the main reason. Each new infection gives the virus a chance to mutate as it makes copies of itself, threatening to undo the progress made so far to control the pandemic.
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged more effort to detect new variants. The United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said a new version first identified in the United Kingdom (UK) may become dominant in the US by March. Although it doesn’t cause more severe illness, it will lead to more hospitalisations and deaths just because it spreads much more easily, said the CDC