CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A viewer reached out to the Vaccine Team concerned about the new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. They wanted to know how well current vaccines protect against mutations.
If youve completed the vaccines, do you know if were protected against the variants of COVID-19?
This is the question scientists around the world are working on around the clock.
In the United States, the most common mutation of the original virus that causes COVID-19 is known as the UK variant or B 1117.
The three approved vaccines are effective in preventing mild and severe cases caused by B1117, Dr. McCLellan said.
Routine analysis of genetic sequence data enables CDC and its public health partners to identify and characterize variant viruseseither new ones identified here or those already identified abroadand to investigate how variants impact COVID-19 disease severity and how variants impact the effectiveness of vaccines and therapeutics.
In his interview with WBTV, Dr. McClellan echoed what scientists keep telling us. The more people vaccinated for COVID-19, the fewer opportunities there are for mutations.