By: Ruchi Sankolli
COVID-19 has existed for almost a year. While its impact has been lightened through the introductions of vaccines and other accommodations, it’s back now and it carries a vengeance. New strains of this virus have now been detected. These “super” strains (scientifically identified as B117) were first detected in the United Kingdom Fall of last year, and the first report of it in the United States was in Colorado. According to the CDC, this could dominate the U.S. as soon as March.
What you should know
The biggest factor to consider when looking at these “super” strains is the rate at which they infect people. This strain has a comparatively higher rate of infection and can be spread more easily among the population. This means that demographics that were previously not as impacted by COVID-19, such as children, are also at risk of getting infected. In fact, children are just as likely to get infected by B117 as adults are. However, just like the normal COVID-19, the severity of this strain is rather low, meaning it is not as likely to cause other complications or even death.
This strain exists because of a mutation in the virus. As COVID-19 continues to spread through populations, it will keep mutating itself to survive, similar to the biological evolution of every living being. This indicates that B117 may not be the only variant of this virus that exists. This is proven by the discovery of another strain of COVID-19 in South Africa, known as B1351.
The symptoms
The symptoms of B117 are quite similar to COVID-19, indicating the noticeable similarity between the two. Common symptoms include:
Fever or chills
Headache
Fatigue
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Sore throat
Loss of taste or smell
Congestion
These symptoms range from mild to severe and are evident from 2 to 14 days after exposure. Some symptoms, such as trouble breathing, chest pain, etc, are serious and require immediate medical assistance. It can be assumed that these symptoms also apply to B1351.
How can I protect myself and others?
You should continue to practice your daily, healthy habits to stay safe, even with this new strain. According to both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC, here is what you should do to protect yourself from the strain (and the virus):
Wear a mask
Practice proper social distancing guidelines
Avoid crowds
Wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer
(If you can) take the vaccine
Other ways to protect yourself include restricting travel, cleaning and sanitizing surfaces around your house, and more. The emphasis of these healthy guidelines may vary depending on whether people have pre-existing health issues. Nonetheless, these guidelines should be taken seriously and carefully.
What about the vaccines?
Many experts, including the CDC, are currently stating that the vaccines should likely work to combat this new strain and its symptoms. However, scientists are still working on that part of the issue. According to White House Health Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will likely not be effective against the new strain. After some testing and tweaking, however, Moderna has stated that their vaccine is effective in protecting against B117 in the UK, instead of B1351 in South Africa. Meanwhile, scientists have also confirmed that Pfizer’s vaccine will also work against the B117 variant. However it will also need tweaking to be effective against B1351.
These recently discovered strains of COVID-19 are increasing concerns over safety and health, even after the vaccines have arrived. It is important to know everything you can about these strains and how to take necessary precaution against them. They may be similar to COVID-19 in terms of impact on health, but it is better to be safe now instead of regretting it later. Nevertheless, we are all working together to take necessary steps to protect ourselves and our community.
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