UK says 4,000 variants of virus that causes COVID-19 around the world 04 Feb 2021 People wait to receive a vaccine against the coronavirus in the Winding Wheel Theatre, Chesterfield, Britain. Reuters Gulf Today Report Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said on Wednesday it will work with a German biopharmaceutical company to develop new vaccines targeting emerging variants of COVID-19 as a British minister said, “There are around 4,000 variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 around the world. Now all vaccine manufacturers including Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca Plc are trying to improve their vaccines amid concerns that some mutations are making the virus harder to combat.