Understanding Covid-19 variants and mutations Monday January 11 2021 Advertisement According to Uganda Virus Research Institute, whether the strain will have an effect on the vaccine is not yet known although research is ongoing. The coronavirus that is now threatening the world is subtly different from the one that first emerged in China. Sars-Cov-2, the official name of the virus that causes the disease Covid-19, and continues to blaze a path of destruction across the globe, is mutating. The discovery of the two variants of coronavirus has triggered alarm. Scientists are racing to find out whether these variants are more transmissible or could present challenges for the Covid-19 vaccine. All viruses naturally mutate, and Sars-CoV-2 is no exception, accumulating an estimated one or two changes a month.