Debunking the Common Myths Regarding the COVID-19 Variants
The arrival of the vaccines against
COVID-19 has come as a much-needed sliver of hope in the dark clouds
that the coronavirus pandemic had spread on our world last year.
However, even before most of us have received the first dose of the
vaccine, the emergence of the new COVID-19 variants has sparked a fresh
wave of fear and doubts among the general public.
In the last couple of months, new strains
of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been identified in the United Kingdom,
Brazil, and South Africa. While health officials are rushing at
breakneck speed to understand their behavior and curb their spread,
Vietnam, too, has recently confirmed the outbreak of a new coronavirus
variant that is even more contagious than the one detected in the UK.
The spread of new mutations and variants added to our worries and
increased the pressure on the health authorities all over the world.
Unfortunately, this has led to several false misconceptions and rumors
regarding the new strains. These are tough times and we mustn’t fall
prey to any incorrect information that would only make the situation
worse. Here, we try to bust a few myths related to the COVID-19
variants.
Myth 1. The COVID-19 variants are more lethal than the original virus
There’s a lot of confusion and misinformation about the potential
fatality of the new COVID-19 variants currently. Plenty of misleading
information and scaremongering has led to the belief that these variants
are indeed much more lethal or more transmissible than the original
virus. There were some reports earlier this year, for instance, that the
UK variant may be 30%-40% more deadly than the old one.
So what is the truth?
Several studies are currently attempting to determine the lethality of
the new variants. At this stage, the conclusions are still unclear. The
fears regarding the deadliness of the new strains might stem from the
high infection rates in the regions where those strains were discovered.
According to experts, that could be because the variants are more
transmissible and not because the strains themselves are causing more
deaths.
The new variants “spread more easily and quickly than other variants —
which may lead to more cases of COVID-19,” according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The truth is that we don’t have sufficient data at the moment to
determine whether any of the new COVID-19 variants are any more deadly
than the original one.
Myth 2. The current vaccines don’t work against the COVID-19 variants
Now that we know that the new COVID-19
variants are here to stay, the next big question is, whether the newly
developed vaccine will be effective against them. There are growing
apprehensions that since the COVID-19 vaccines were designed with the
original virus in mind, they won’t work against the new strains.
Thankfully, there’s some good news in this regard. Early investigations
suggest that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as Johnson
& Johnson's candidate vaccine (not yet authorized for use), appear
to provide some degree of protection against some of the new variants.
More new vaccines that are being developed at present are also expected
to provide good cover against these new strains. According to the CDC,
most vaccines right now will be able to protect against all variants of
COVID-19.
However, Moderna and Pfizer have both said that their vaccines are less
effective against the South African strain. That doesn’t mean that the
vaccines won’t work at all against the variant though. All vaccines
trigger a considerable amount of antibodies after both doses and that
should offer us a significant level of immunity against all the
variants.
Furthermore, health experts are confident that they will be able to
quickly adapt to the current variants and any new ones that might emerge
later. If needed, the current vaccines can be redesigned or tweaked to
be a better match against the strains in a matter of weeks.
So, your best shot to help stop the spread of any new variants of the
coronavirus is by getting immunized with any one of the authorized
vaccines as soon as you are eligible.
Myth 3. Health experts weren’t prepared for the new COVID-19 variants
Have the scientists been caught completely
off guard with the emergence of new COVID-19 variants? That’s what the
general perception is since these strains have apparently appeared out
of the blue. However, that’s not the complete truth.
Ever since the pandemic began scientists and health officials were
prepared for such a scenario. All viruses mutate as they make duplicates
of themselves so that they can survive and spread. Hence, the
appearance of these variants isn’t unexpected and it won’t be surprising
if more strains emerge in the future.
The CDC explains: “Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new
variants of a virus are expected to occur over time.”
Having said that, it has also come to light that some of these variants,
like the South African one, were around before for at least a few weeks
before being detected. As a result, health officials would have
evaluated exactly how some of the strains evaded them and would take the
necessary measures to ensure any future ones are detected without much
delay.
Myth 4. Variants like these will now become unstoppable
The new COVID-19 variants have definitely
spread at a rapid speed. The UK variant, particularly, is likely to
become the predominant strain in many places. There are also chances
that you would hear about new variants emerging in the weeks to come.
But, there’s no reason to panic or to believe that we're all doomed.
Much like the coronavirus, its variants too will be brought under
control eventually. We just have to continue following the protective
measures like mask-wearing, hand-washing, and social distancing that
have helped us prevent the spread of the coronavirus. There’s no reason
to believe as of now that those safety measures won't work against any
of the new variants. Leading health experts also say that now might be a
good time to double mask which can create an extra layer of protection
against the new variants.
Lastly, the vaccines will certainly be a potent tool in thwarting the
spread of any new strain of the coronavirus. With mass vaccination
drives currently underway almost everywhere in the world, it’s more than
likely that a significant number of the general public would have been
vaccinated by this summer. That should certainly limit the potential
impact of these variants.