It’s more contagious than the original and U.K. strain.
You probably know already that the U.K. strain is 52 percent more transmissible than the original one, but what’s even more concerning, is that the South African strain is considered even more contagious than the U.K. strain.
In fact, a South African study conducted in December which hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet, has shown that the 501Y.V2 variant is 50 percent more transmissible than the U.K. strain already present in the United States for some time now, according to USA Today.
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Also, the vaccines won’t be as effective against the new South African variant.
The reason Antony Fauci feared this variant so much is because of how it mutated the virus. As Fauci mentioned already during a discussion with California Gov. Gavin Newsom that took place in December, vaccines are created to work against spike proteins, which are very specific parts of a virus.
Since the new South African strain has more mutations to the spike protein, experts fear that the vaccines won’t be as effective, and that’s very concerning because it could erase all our medical advancements against the virus.
As Scott Gottlieb, MD, a former FDA commissioner, told CNBC earlier in January, “The South Africa variant is very concerning right now because it does appear that it may obviate some of our medical countermeasures, particularly the antibody drugs.”
Moderna already confirmed on January 25 that the antibodies from its vaccine saw a ‘six-fold reduction’ against the 501Y.V2 variant, but that appears not to be enough to offer full protection. Moderna is still working on creating a booster shot that offers protection against the new South African strain, but chances are it won’t be ready until next year.
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