New travel restrictions have been imposed on and from the United Kingdom.
Infectious disease experts say changes to the virus’s genetic code and variations are expected.
“Most of these variations mean nothing, mean nothing, are of insignificant importance, but from time to time can change some properties of the virus, sometimes for better sometimes for worse,” said Dr. Irfan Hafiz, a specialist in infectious diseases in medicine. northwest.
RELATED: Are the new variants of coronavirus of concern? The COVID-19 mutation was explained
Scientific modeling, not data, has shown that the new variant is much more contagious.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s already here in the United States, that’s basically the nature of the viruses, they’re moving,” said Dr. Richard Novak, UIC’s director of infectious diseases.
Although there are claims of higher transmissibility, the good news is that experts have said it does not mean the new variant is more deadly or resistant to the vaccine.
“There does not seem to be clear evidence, but it needs to be studied a little further, if someone intends to get vaccinated, I would encourage this, this is not changing at the moment,” Hafiz said.
The Moderna vaccine is being delivered this week, and scientists remain hopeful that the vaccines will be effective in reducing the pandemic.
But scientists have said that a new variant means that the coronavirus will not go away and could be around with a certain capacity for a long time.
“This is a wake-up call that we absolutely must be vigilant and not let our guard down, we must continue to monitor all responses to the virus and respond to it,” he said.
Infectious disease experts stressed the importance of monitoring any infections found in people who have been vaccinated.
Copyright © 2020 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.