What we know about the new COVID-19 variants – WKRN News 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) There are multiple mutations of the coronavirus circulating the globe, but three, in particular, are causing concern due to evidence that they are more contagious. These variants may lead to increased strain on our healthcare system.

News 2 spoke with Dr. WilliamSchaffner, Professor of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University, to learn more about these variants.

The scientific community actually has these three variants, one from Britain, one from Brazil and another one from South Africa under close observation, because first of all, they seem to be more contagious than the regular virus, said Dr. Schaffner, They spread more readily as though that were possible. And that, of course, would mean much more illness, wherever it is spread. The second is that they may be, some of them are a little bit different than the vaccine. So although the vaccine still will be good, it might not be quite as good as before.

The two vaccines that are currently available are expected to offer protection against these variants. Another vaccine by Johnson & Johnson is expected to gain approval shortly and will help increase the number of vaccinations. But the less these variants spread, the better, and right now, its a race to get as many Americans vaccinated as possible.

Only two cases of the UK variant have been identified in Tennessee, and so far, there have been no cases of the Brazilian or South African variant.The best way to prevent the spread of these variants is to keep wearing your mask, maintain social distance, and, of course, get the vaccine when you can.

Stay with News 2 for continuing coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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What we know about the new COVID-19 variants - WKRN News 2