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CDC: The coronavirus could be 'just a few mutations' away from evading vaccines
Natalie Musumeci,Aylin Woodward,Aria Bendix
Tue, July 27, 2021, 3:55 PM·
The coronavirus is "just a few mutations potentially away" from evading current COVID-19 vaccines, the CDC said.
Coronavirus cases have been surging in the US, fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The more transmission, the more opportunity for the virus to replicate and gain dangerous mutations.
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The coronavirus could be just a few mutations away from evading existing COVID-19 vaccines, according to the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"These vaccines operate really well in protecting us from severe disease and death, but the big concern is that the next variant that might emerge - just a few mutations potentially away - could potentially evade our vaccines," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a Tuesday press briefing.
She added, though that "right now, fortunately we are not there," since current COVID-19 vaccines "operate really well in protecting us from severe disease and death."
Coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, have been surging in the US and across the globe - largely among those who are unvaccinated. In the last month, the US's seven-day average of new daily cases has quintupled: from 11,887 on June 26 to 56,635 on Monday.
The CDC announced Tuesday that people infected with Delta - vaccinated or unvaccinated - have higher viral loads (meaning they carry greater amounts of virus) compared to other versions of coronavirus. That means even vaccinated people could pass the virus along to others similarly to how unvaccinated people do.
More transmission means more mutations
All viruses change over time as they replicate inside an infected host. So countless versions of the coronavirus are circulating, each separated by a handful of tiny changes in its genetic code. Many of these have no real public-health impact, but the more people a virus infects, the more chances it has to mutate into a new, dangerous variant.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cdc-coronavirus-could-just-few-195538150.html