Mutant strains of the coronavirus are challenging public health efforts around the world. Dr. Nancy Nielsen, Senior Associate Dean for Health Policy at UB's Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, says one strain is creating problems in South Africa where the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine has been found to be only '"minimally protective." Nielsen is confident vaccine makers will be able to develop booster shots to combat new virus strains but the development highlights the need to have people vaccinated. "This is a race against time. Because the more people we get vaccinated with what we have now and what comes down the pike in a couple of weeks, the quicker we're going to stop this virus from mutating."