The 1-year anniversary of the global Coronavirus pandemic has arrived and with it comes hope that the FDA-EUA vaccines will soon mitigate transmission. As clinical trials for more vaccines are ongoing, questions about Coronavirus and it’s genetic mutations continue to grow. Can you believe there are over 468,000 sequences of SARS-CoV-2 globally?! (Like other RNA viruses, CoV-2 can change through mutation, with new variants occurring over time.) To date, three specific viral variants of SARS-CoV-2 are of public health concern; either because they are more transmissible, cause more severe illness, or can elude the immune response. These variants merit close monitoring. Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. Scientists are researching whether or not the current vaccines are effective in combating the new variants or mutations. At minimum, researchers believe getting a COVID-19 vaccine may keep you from getting seriously ill if you do get COVID-19.
We are still learning if the vaccines will prevent you from spreading the COVID-19 virus to others. We do know, that after exposure, people can be infected and “carry” or spread the virus that causes COVID-19 to others but not feel sick or have any symptoms themselves. Experts call this “asymptomatic infection.” We do not know for certain if the vaccine will prevent this type of person to person spread of the virus. For this reason, even after vaccination, we need to continue using all of the tools available to help stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Everyone should continue to:
Mark your calendars
Time for some “Bad Dad” jokes
