A new Covid variant called the BA.6, which has led to discussions about bringing masks back, might already be present in the US. This news comes from experts who spoke to DailyMail.com.
The mutant strain of Covid, referred to as BA.6, has been identified in Israel and Denmark so far. However, a number of experts believe it will soon appear in tests conducted in the United States.
In the US, regular swab tests are not as frequent anymore. And only a small portion of positive cases are further examined to identify the specific Covid variant causing the infection. As a result, it can take quite a while before new strains of the virus are discovered.
“I’m sure it is already here. If it hasn’t already made it here, it probably will very soon,” Dr. Thomas Moore, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Kansas, told DailyMail.
A changed version of the virus, which comes from the original Omicron type, has raised worries among certain scientists due to its large number of changes in the spike protein. This spike protein is what vaccines were created to attack.
Potential impact on vaccine effectiveness and new variant’s influence on immunity
There’s a possibility that the new variant could weaken the effectiveness of vaccines if it has transformed significantly from its parent Omicron strain. However, many experts believe that no matter the new variation, vaccines and previous infection can still provide some level of protection.
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