The new mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, comes with a “greater degree of infectivity”, and therefore even if the virulence--or the severity--is the same as the earlier strain of the virus, we will see more patients progress to severe disease and more deaths from COVID-19, says K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation India. We speak with Reddy to understand if the mutation was expected, what this changes for our COVID-19 response, and if and how this affects vaccines.
The new mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, comes with a “greater degree of infectivity”, and therefore even if the virulence--or the severity--is the same as the earlier strain of the virus, we will see more patients progress to severe disease and more deaths from COVID-19, says K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation India. We speak with Reddy to understand if the mutation was expected, what this changes for our COVID-19 response, and if and how this affects vaccines.