The COVID-19 virus has existed for over a year now, and clearly it is not going anywhere anytime soon due to new variants of the virus emerging in the U.S. and all around the world. The CDC website says that variants of viruses occur when there is a mutation in the genes of the virus. Researchers at the CDC have been looking at these new strains and watching them very closely because people are still scared of the threat that these crown-like viruses pose to humans. 

Based on the CDC website, researchers have evidence that three different variants of the coronavirus have been found in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brasil. Those variants are named B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1, which each have different mutations. The CDC mentions, “These variants spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19”. This is a huge threat because an increase in positive cases means more hospitalizations and potential deaths. The world realizes how much strain this puts on to health care resources. Unfortunately, there is not enough information about these variants being more deadly or not. 

One of the biggest questions at the moment is, “Does the new vaccine fight against these new variants?” According to the CDC, the answer is yes, the vaccine recognizes these strains! The most important thing to remember is to keep washing hands, wearing masks properly, and be compliant with quarantine guidelines if instructed to do so. 

Essentially, there is a lot that we do not know about these new strands of the coronavirus. However, it is important to social distance and try to stop the spread. Student at Timberlane, Rachel Vaughn, says, “I hope these new strains of COVID-19 do not cause another country-wide shut down”.