Are all new variants the same?
They all share a remarkably similar set of mutations in the virus’s spike protein – the part that attaches to human cells – but are not identical. All have appeared in areas where there have been recent peaks in Covid cases.
Why did they appear at the same time?
Scientists are not sure. It is speculated that these are the product of common evolutionary pressures. One theory is that patients who have had Covid for a long time allow the virus to move more efficiently. The United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil all have such cases.
Can I avoid vaccines?
Pfizer and AstraZeneca believe that their vaccines will continue to work against the British version. The jury is still out of the other two. There is some laboratory work that suggests that the South African variant may end up stealing existing antibodies (vaccine products or natural infections) sometimes. However, experts say a vaccine is unlikely to suddenly stop working together. They are more likely to become less effective with growth as the virus changes.
Is this pattern normal?
Yes, respiratory viruses tend to “drift” over time, and vaccines must be constantly changed to keep up with them. This happens every year with seasonal flu, for example.
How simple is the vaccine update process?
In theory, it should be pretty simple. As long as the changes to be made to vaccines are modest (only four or five changes to the more than 1,000 amino acids of the spike protein), then new vaccines can be produced quickly and without long regulatory approval. New RNA vaccines, such as the one produced by Pfizer, can also be changed faster than conventional vaccines.