'New York variant' of COVID-19: What's different about it, and will vaccines be effective?
Doctors at Yale Medicine say that new “New York variant” of COVID-19 contains some of the same dangerous mutations as South African versions of the virus, but it’s too early to tell what effect it will have on case numbers.
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Feb 26, 2021, 10:37 PM
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Updated 1,398 days ago
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448ds agoDoctors
at Yale Medicine say that new “New York variant” of COVID-19 contains some of
the same dangerous mutations as South African versions of the virus, but it’s
too early to tell what effect it will have on case numbers.
Dr. F.
Perry Wilson says mutations in the New York variant may make the virus easier
to pass on and harder for the body to fight.
"Many
scientists feel that it might convey some degree of resistance to antibody
treatments," he says.
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Dr.
Anthony Fauci said variants are reason for concern, but not for changing
behaviors.
"Keep
doing the public health measures, and get as many people vaccinated as you
possibly can. Everything you throw at us about a mutant is going be countered
by getting people vaccinated," said Dr. Fauci.
Dr.
Wilson says the virus that causes COVID-19 actually appears to mutate more
slowly than flu virus.
"The
reason we're seeing so much mutation and variance is just because the number of
cases is so high around the world and every case is a chance for mutation,"
he says.
As the
virus evolves, treatments and vaccines may eventually need to evolve too, Dr.
Wilson says.
“I
think it's likely that there might be…a booster in the future," he says.
Dr.
Wilson says the current vaccines work so well, that even if the new strains
show some resistance to antibodies, they should remain an effective tool in the
fight against COVID-19.
Connecticut
reported another 21 cases of the so-called UK variant of COVID-19, bringing the
number of total cases to 63.
Two of
the new cases are in Stamford. One of them was found in Bridgeport.
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