First discovered in December 2020, three new variants of the COVID-19 virus have emerged around the world. These variants are commonly referred to as the UK variant, the South Africa variant, and the Brazil variant. These variants have started to spread rapidly through the world since they have been discovered. Although they are talked about a lot in the news, there is still an abundance of questions that remain to be answered about the three new variants of COVID-19. 

One of the unknowns that remains about these new variants is whether or not the current vaccines available will still protect people from these new COVID-19 variants. Although there is much research to be done, the early signs point to the vaccines still being effective against the new strains. Sonoma State Professor Joseph Lin, who teaches a virology course and has conducted research on molecular and cellular biology, gave his thoughts on the vaccines and their effectiveness against the new strains: “Based on the latest studies (which are so new that they haven’t been peer reviewed yet), the Moderna vaccine is still thought to be effective against the new ‘UK’ and ‘South Africa’ strains.” Lin also states that altering the vaccines would not be hard, but getting it released to the public could prove to be the more difficult part: “The change would be fairly minor, but [the FDA] may want some safety data before the new version could be used on the general public.”

Sonoma State University Professor Lisa Hua, who has also conducted research on molecular and cellular biology, also weighed in on the vaccine’s efforts against these new variants of the COVID-19 virus. She said, “The current vaccines tend to generate large levels of antibodies, and a strong immune response from individuals so if they are a little less effective against a new variant strain, acquiring the vaccine would still protect the majority of individuals from being gravely sick.”

Hua also commented on the safety of the current vaccines available, stating, “As with many vaccines, such as the flu vaccine, there are reported side effects that are mild.” She does however, add, “for the majority of the population the benefits of receiving the vaccine and gaining protection generally outweighs the risks.” Although there is still much research to be done about the new variants, health experts and medical professionals are monitoring the situation to keep people as informed as possible. 
Based on the CDC’s information, the UK variant and the South African variant have both exhibited a similar mutation, causing them to exhibit similar characteristics.

While the CDC found that both variants are easier to transmit from person to person, they also stated, “Currently, there is no evidence that these variants cause more severe illness or increased risk of death.” The Brazil variant is similar to the other two in the sense that it may not cause more severe symptoms, however this variant has certain mutations that could allow it to become resistant to antibodies.

To stay up to date on the research surrounding these new variants of COVID-19, head over to the CDC website for all the data.