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A new strain of COVID-19 would have to be so different from the original that your immune system's training through vaccination or getting it previously would no longer be useful.
The new spike protein would have to differ so much from the original.
But is this the case? No.
This mutation is called N501Y. There is currently NO evidence that this variant, or any other, significantly affects the immune-trained response or increases infectiousness, rate of transmission or severity of infection.
So why are people panicking? Misreporting.
Most people will read 'New COVID-19 strain' on a headline and think the worst. At the moment, researchers are closely monitoring mutations, but there is no evidence of concern yet to report.
What could be causing the prevalence of this variant?
Chance. The prevalence of this variant could be due to the other variants reaching a state of 'Zero COVID' during lockdowns. Superspreaders could have then been responsible for this variant taking the lead.
Whilst prevalence can suggest that it does have an evolutionary advantage, correlation does not equal causation!
For now, we can be confident that vaccines will work on this new variant, and we can still expect some semblance of normality in 2021. Stay hopeful!
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