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A thread on variants for non scientists - what are they, why do they happen, what does it mean for the pandemic? 1/7
Very simply - variants are what happens when a virus evolves, just as humans & animals evolve, so do viruses. For #coronavirus we are now seeing the it evolving to being a human virus as opposed to one found the animal world. 2/ 7
Viruses tend to evolve to survive, so that is why we are seeing things what @bbcpm correspondent described as the 'go fast' mutation and the 'evade immune system' mutation. These are things help the virus survive and continue to spread. 3/7
There is another scientific possibility, that viruses evolve to survive but in doing so lose their deadliness or potential to cause harm becoming more benign. But sadly we're not currently seeing this with #coronavirus. 4/7
The more the virus is allowed to spread unchecked and transmit itself, the more variants and mutations are possible. It's why the effort to vaccinate MUST be truly global. We are racing the virus, not each other. 5/7
We will need to continue to invest in second and even third generation vaccines to prepare for potential variants that could essentially 'evolve' to escape the vaccine. Funding & backing for #Covax can help do this and ensure that these vaccines reach all who need them. 6/7
The good news is there have been huge breakthroughs in vaccine technology - RNA and vector vaccines we see now can be adapted to new variants. But efforts to meet these new challenges will need to be fast, decisive and global. 7/7
