Read on Twitter
Okay! We have new information! Good news and bad news. Good news is that no strain of coronavirus is immune to the vaccine, and both Moderna and Pfizer have announced that even when facing the mutated versions that lesson efficacy, they still provide antibody levels 1/ https://twitter.com/acabforacutie/status/1353846785102364672
that are enough to neutralize the virus. Moderna is already testing a third booster shot of its vaccine against the B.1.351 (South African) mutation. And some more good news! The virus is *simply* mutating to spread more effectively on it’s own. This is considered.. positive 2/
because flu virus strains (by contrast) mutate specifically to evade immunity. The coronavirus is not at that stage (yet). AND even more good news: mRNA technology is much more easily and quickly updated than the traditional approach to vaccine updates (growing large viral 3/
cultures, deactivating said viruses, and then injecting the dead virus as inoculation).
The bad news: The mutations we are seeing are more transmissible and in some cases more deadly. Looking just at the contagion factor, it has the potential to overwhelm hospitals and 4/
The bad news: The mutations we are seeing are more transmissible and in some cases more deadly. Looking just at the contagion factor, it has the potential to overwhelm hospitals and 4/
increase overall deaths purely by numbers alone, even if the particular strain isn’t causing more deaths.
Currently, scientists are globally being encouraged to continue/increase efforts to genetically sequence variants.
Overall, these mutations are things to watch, 5/
Currently, scientists are globally being encouraged to continue/increase efforts to genetically sequence variants.
Overall, these mutations are things to watch, 5/
be very aware of, and a reason to start doubling your mask/upgrading your mask(s), etc. So these mutations are concerning, yes, and you should take additional steps to protect yourself and your community, but there’s no need to panic (yet). /fin
Sources: CNN; Thomas Friedrich, a vaccine expert at the University of Wisconsin; CDC; BusinessWire
