Over the past month, the news has been dominated by reports of COVID-19 variants being found in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil.
Now those mutated strains are being detected in the United States, leaving many feeling unsettled and uncertain.
Don’t panic. Here are the four biggest myths about the COVID-19 variants: debunked.
Myth 1: The COVID-19 variants came as a complete surprise to health experts.
According to the CDC, “viruses constantly change through mutation,” meaning these variants were anticipated.
In fact, the variants have likely been around for a while, health officials just didn’t notice due to a lack of genomic sequencing.
Myth 2: The COVID-19 variants are more deadly.
According to Eric Vail of Cedars-Sinai, variants typically become “more infectious and less virulent.” It’s “less likely” that a deadly variant would form because viruses want to spread more, not kill their hosts.
Myth 3: The current vaccines do not work against the COVID-19 variants.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines appear to protect against the known COVID-19 variants, although they are “less potent” against the South Africa strain.
Thankfully, mRNA vaccine platforms allow for changes to made quickly, as they can sequence out the specific mutations as they occur.
Myth 4: We can’t stop COVID-19 variants from spreading. All of the preventative measures being used to fight the original strain of COVID-19 can also help against the variants.The most potent tool: getting vaccinated.
Now those mutated strains are being detected in the United States, leaving many feeling unsettled and uncertain.
Don’t panic. Here are the four biggest myths about the COVID-19 variants: debunked.
Myth 1: The COVID-19 variants came as a complete surprise to health experts.
According to the CDC, “viruses constantly change through mutation,” meaning these variants were anticipated.
In fact, the variants have likely been around for a while, health officials just didn’t notice due to a lack of genomic sequencing.
Myth 2: The COVID-19 variants are more deadly.
According to Eric Vail of Cedars-Sinai, variants typically become “more infectious and less virulent.” It’s “less likely” that a deadly variant would form because viruses want to spread more, not kill their hosts.
Myth 3: The current vaccines do not work against the COVID-19 variants.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines appear to protect against the known COVID-19 variants, although they are “less potent” against the South Africa strain.
Thankfully, mRNA vaccine platforms allow for changes to made quickly, as they can sequence out the specific mutations as they occur.
Myth 4: We can’t stop COVID-19 variants from spreading. All of the preventative measures being used to fight the original strain of COVID-19 can also help against the variants.The most potent tool: getting vaccinated.
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