US military scientists are analyzing a new COVID-19 strain found in the UK and are investigating whether current vaccines are sufficient to combat it.
Scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research started analyzing data last week to determine the magnitude of the danger from the new mutant variant and to try to determine whether the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will combat the strain.
“It goes without saying that this mutation isn’t a threat, but you never know,” Nelson Michael, a physician at the Center for Infectious Diseases Research at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, told CNN.
“We still have to be diligent and keep looking.”
Scientists started their research with a computer analysis of the new species. If the results give cause for concern, studies will be conducted in laboratories and animals to determine if the vaccine will work with this variant.
“Thanks to the computer analysis, we can estimate how much concern we should have,” said Michael. “Other teams around the world are also doing this analysis.”
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are distributed throughout the United States. They work by creating genetic blueprints for the spikes that appear on the surface of the native coronavirus. The immune system then attacks those spikes.
There are no reports of the new species in the United States yet.
Experts, who say viruses always mutate, say the new strain does not necessarily nullify the current vaccine.
“Even with mutations, the virus remains essentially the same,” said William Schaffner, an adviser to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ‘It’s just like a person. I can swap my brown coat for a gray coat, but I’m still Bill Schaffner. I’ve changed something, but I’m still the same person. ‘
At a press conference in England on Saturday, when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new lockdowns for the holiday season, the UK’s chief scientific adviser spoke about the vaccines.
“Our working assumption of all scientists at this point is that the vaccine response should be sufficient for this virus,” said Dr. Patrick Vallance.
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