(19 Feb 2021) LEAD IN:
Scientists and doctors worldwide are concerned that mutants of the COVID-19 virus may overcome any protection given by the new vaccines.
Viruses thrive by multiplying and changing to avoid the barriers created by the new drugs. This is how they do it.
STORY-LINE:
Viruses can't survive on their own; they spread by infecting people.
This happens when a virus takes over a cell and hacks its machinery to make copies of itself.
As it does this, it often makes mistakes.
Little changes in the genetic code are called mutations.
Many mutations are meaningless, but some offer an advantage and take hold as the virus spreads, becoming what we call 'variants'.
The coronavirus has been mutating since late 2019. The rate of change is one thing scientists are studying now.
Scientists monitor mutations by watching for genetic changes.
This also helps them track how the virus spreads in different regions.
It's not always clear what a little genetic typo or deletion will mean.
Researchers also have to sort out important mutations which make viruses stronger, from random changes that don't.
Scientists are concerned about several COVID-19 variants.
Variants first detected in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil seem to spread more easily and research is underway to see if they cause more serious disease.
Each new infection gives the virus a chance to mutate.
Studies suggest current vaccines still work against the variants, though perhaps not as strongly against some.
The way to prevent more mutations is to prevent new cases.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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