Mutated strains of coronavirus emerging all over the world, most recently in California, have added an extra layer of urgency in the race to inoculate the public against the fast-spreading disease.
Two new strains of COVID-19, initially detected in the Golden State, were officially dubbed “variants of concern” on Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control. The agency said early data revealed that they could be up to 20% more transmissible than the initial strain and warned some coronavirus treatments may not protect as well against the mutations.
While initial studies showed antibodies from vaccinated people appear to be less effective at neutralizing the mutation, the CDC stopped short of saying the shots would be ineffective against the variants. Researchers noted that the lower level of antibodies could still be enough to protect against the strains.
Three other variants — one first detected in the United Kingdom, another in South Africa and another in Japan and Brazil — are also on the CDC’s list of variants of concern. They’ve proven to be 50% more transmissible than the initial coronavirus strain, according to the agency.
Another three have been dubbed “variants of interest,” but none has yet fallen under the CDC’s most dire classification of “variant of high consequence.”
The shape-shifting coronavirus has sent officials scrambling to speed up vaccine distribution with the hope that citizens can achieve herd immunity before the virus transforms into something more deadly. While numbers have been mostly in decline in the United States in recent weeks, experts have expressed worry that variants could reverse the positive trajectory.
In the United States, three vaccines have been approved for emergency use, including Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot treatment. Two-dose vaccines developed by Pzfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are also being distributed nationwide.
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