It's been widely reported that a mutated strain of the coronavirus has been creating new problems in the United Kingdom. Early indications show the strain to be more contagious and will likely lead to more hospitalizations. It's enough of a concern that several countries are restricting travel from the UK. Dr. Nancy Nielsen, Senior Associate Dean for Health Policy at UB's Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, offered some perspective during her weekly appearance on WBFO.
"This virus has mutated thousands of times already as it hopscotches across the globe. So, finding a mutation is not an issue," Nielsen said.
"But, this UK mutant is different. It has about 17 mutations that seem to occur all at once."
Some suspect the mutant strain may have already made its way to the United States. While that is a legitimate concern, Nielsen says the bigger question revolves around the effectiveness of the two COVID vaccines that have been approved by the FDA.
Nielsen seems cautiously optimistic.
"The reason is the vaccines induce a real repertoire, complex repertoire, of antibodies and one virologists said, 'They (the vaccines) produce a thousand big guns pointed at the virus.'"
