New variants of the COVID-19 virus may be more contagious and cause more severe disease than the original. A pediatrician and infectious disease specialist explains why.
Articles on Coronavirus mutation
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Variants of the original SARS-CoV-2 are now in wide circulation. That means the third wave of COVID-19 has come with new questions about the variants, their effects and what might come next.
We can help vaccines keep up with the mutating coronavirus by doubling down on preventive measures.
Your chance to ask a panel of experts about the coronavirus variants at 12.30pm GMT on Wednesday January 27.
So-called ‘variants of concern’ have been cropping up since November.
New variants will push the number needed to reach herd immunity up.
All your questions about the new coronavirus variant, answered by a microbial genomics researcher.
SARS-CoV-2 mutates all the time, creating new variants. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s getting more harmful or better at spreading.
Top contributors
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Principal Research Fellow, Microbial Genomics, UCL
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Professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine
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Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde
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Head of the School of Allied Health, Anglia Ruskin University
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Professor of Microbial Evolution at The Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath
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Associate Professor in Viral Immunology, University of Birmingham
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Professor, Biology, York University, Canada