The good news is that most researchers believe that yes, the vaccine will continue to work, but just in case, Pfizer and Moderna are testing their vaccines against this new variant.
Microbiologist Susan Weiss, Ph.D., has studied coronaviruses for four decades and is now co-director of the Penn Coronavirus Research Center and other emerging pathogens.
Regarding this new variant, she says that there is still a lot to learn and if it makes the virus spread faster, this has not yet been scientifically proven.
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“I mean, what if the virus spreads faster because people are less attentive and go to parties? It’s a correlation, not an observation of cause and effect,” said Dr. Weiss.
She also believes that the variant is very unlikely to significantly affect the vaccine because the vaccine develops antibodies against several parts of what is known as the spike protein on the virus, not just this mutant part.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccine manufacturers are still testing it. “It’s a good thing to do, but I’m sure I’m pretty confident it won’t look any different,” she said.
Viruses are constantly changing. Dr. Weiss said the best thing we can do now is slow the spread of the virus, giving it fewer opportunities to move.
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“Rather than being afraid of it, keep doing what we should be doing anyway,” Dr. Weoss said.
The only reason this was found is that the researchers tested several samples of the virus.
The CDC will step up testing in January. Weiss says they will also start looking for this option in their research.
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