The COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools almost one year ago. Since then, the virus has undergone some changes. In the latter half of 2020, scientists began to notice mutations of the virus appearing in different countries. These mutations raised questions. How did these mutations affect the virus? Is it more deadly? More contagious?

Scientists don’t have all of the answers, but with the small amount of research on COVID-19 and these mutations, we have some. Almost all viruses change and evolve over time, so these mutations are nothing unexpected. Robert Bollinger, M.D., M.P.H of Hopkins Medicine explains, “All RNA viruses mutate over time, some more than others. For example, flu viruses change often, which is why doctors recommend that you get a new flu vaccine every year.” There are a few theories regarding the specific mutations that COVID-19 has undergone According to Stuart Ray, M.D., vice chair of medicine for data integrity and analytics at Hopkins, “Geographic separation tends to result in genetically distinct variants.” These variants could be emerging because the world is more separated than usual with travel bans and mandatory quarantines.

There are a handful of identified mutations that scientists are currently studying. The first was found in the United Kingdom in September of 2020, known as the B.1.1.7 mutation. This mutation was first found in the United States in December of 2020. In January of 2021, UK scientists reported that this mutation may be associated with higher death rates, but more research is needed to support this conclusion. This mutation has been associated with easier transmission. There is also no evidence that these variants affect different age groups more than others.

Another variant was found in South Africa in October of 2020, known as the B.1.351 variant. Cases of this variant were reported in the United States at the end of January 2021. There are concerns this variant can re-infect those who have already had COVID-19, but luckily, the vaccine still seems to be effective against this variant.

Finally, variant P.1 was detected in Brazil in January of 2021. There are concerns this variant has mutations that make it less treatable by the COVID antibody vaccine, but studies are still underway. This variant was found in the U.S just after the South African variant in January.

The biggest concern is that these variants will make current treatments and vaccinations less effective. In a study with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, it was found that those with the B.1.351 variant still experienced mild to moderate sickness even with the vaccine. There still is not any evidence that these mutations produce more severe illnesses. According to Ray, “There is new evidence from laboratory studies that some immune responses driven by current vaccines could be less effective against some of the new strains. The immune response involves many components, and a reduction in one does not mean that the vaccines will not offer protection.”

So, what do we do to protect ourselves from these variants? According to scientists, the best thing we can do is keep doing what we’re doing; mask-wearing, social distancing, etc. The more people who are infected, the more likely we are to see more variants. So if we lessen the spread of COVID-19, we also lessen the chance of more dangerous mutations.

More information on COVID-19 and its variants can be found on cdc.gov