Variants
So the critical question is not are variants being produced. Of course they’re going to be produced. The critical question is do these variants make the virus more contagious, more virulent, and most importantly, far and away most importantly, have these variants evaded recognition by vaccine-induced immune response - Paul Offit
image by: WFTV Channel 9
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A deep dive on the evolution of COVID and its variants
When SARS-CoV-2 was first isolated in January 2020, researchers who studied viral genetics said it would mutate at some point. With millions of chances to replicate and adapt, mutations were an inevitability. But at first, many scientists thought the process would play out over years or longer. Instead, the past 24 months have been shaped by a procession of new variants, each with its own ability to cause disease. Over the last two years, a flood of imaging, genetic sequencing, and experimenting with everything from modified viral particles to disembodied spike proteins has allowed scientists to explain how this pathogen and its variants killed more than 6 million people and infected millions…
Resources
How Covid-19's symptoms have changed with each new variant
With a new variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus causing a spike in cases, it is demonstrating just how much the disease has changed since the pandemic began – and what happened to "Covid toe".
Covid hunters: the amateur sleuths tracking the virus and its variants
How a schoolteacher and a dog educator became crucial to the global fight against coronavirus.
Covid-19 Variant Strategy for Long Haul Is Needed, FDA Official Says
A top U.S. health regulator said that asking people to frequently get Covid-19 boosters wasn’t sustainable because of vaccine fatigue and that authorities needed to develop a long-term strategy for protecting the public from the virus as it evolves. Dr. Peter Marks, who heads the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccines division, said that last week’s authorization of a second booster dose for people 50 years and older and for people 12 and older with weakened immune systems was a stopgap.
How Scientists Trace New Coronavirus Variants
You know, these are viruses, and like everything on Earth, they change over time. But viruses, in particular, they're replicating and spreading quickly, and they have high mutation rates compared to us.
How will Covid-19 evolve in the future?
Every time the coronavirus passes from person to person it picks up tiny changes to its genetic code, but scientists are starting to notice patterns in how the virus is mutating.
How Will the Coronavirus Evolve?
Delta won’t be the last variant. What will the next ones bring?
Human Behavior During the Pandemic Is More Important Than Any Covid Variant
The coronavirus vaccines that have been developed are very effective in preventing severe disease and death caused by all variants, including Delta. Vaccines might not always prevent infections, but they make a substantial impact in reducing virus spread and risk for serious health problems. People who are unvaccinated are at a great risk for infection and harm from any variant of the coronavirus.
The Coronavirus Is Evolving Before Our Eyes
The virus is mutating as expected. We can still stop it.
The Latest COVID Variants Have a Surprising Feature in Common
Over and over again, genetic mutations are preventing a protein once thought to be key to the virus’s success from being expressed.
What Happens When We Run Out of Greek Letters for Variants?
Delta surges, alpha remains a concern. Gamma is less transmissible, while beta is more contagious. A few weeks ago, scientists were concerned about epsilon, which is potentially able to evade antibodies from vaccines; On Monday Texas saw its first case of lambda. These are all variants of the coronavirus, of course, though some have received less time in the spotlight than others
Where will the next coronavirus variant of concern come from?
A handful of African countries are its most likely source.
A deep dive on the evolution of COVID and its variants
The reason we know so much about how SARS-CoV-2 works is because virologists have been tracking its mutations in real time. What they've seen has floored them.
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