MEMPHIS, Tenn. — COVID-19 has lasted longer than expected. And as a result, it has mutated.
There are three mutations the CDC calls "variants of concern."
That's B.1.1.7 first discovered in the United Kingdom, B.1.351 first seen in South Africa, and P.1 first reported in Brazil.
“By far is the most common is the UK variant, the B.1.1.7,” said Dr. Steve Threlkeld, Baptist Memorial Healthcare Infectious Disease Medical Director.
Threlkeld said it may or may not be a little more dangerous or deadly.
“It certainly is more contagious. The good news about that variant is that the vaccines are still very effective against it,” said Dr. Threlkeld.
That effectiveness dwindles down when it comes to the other two.
“The South African variant, the B.1.3.51 is actually one that tends to overcome some of our defenses. It’s also a bit more contagious,” said Dr. Threlkeld. “It may not necessarily be more deadly in and of itself, but it can be a little resistant to the vaccine immunity that we could give.”
The variant from Brazil is also different.
“It has some scary elements to it,” said Dr. Threlkeld. “There is a city in Brazil that suffered a severe outbreak of infection earlier in the spring, so bad that it was felt that they might have even gotten herd immunity the first time around.”
The virus came back and even more contagious.
When it comes to the Mid-South, where are these variants of concern?
The CDC has a map showing the variant from the UK in both Tennessee and Mississippi, one case of the variant from South Africa in Tennessee, and none of the variants in Arkansas.
“The bottom line is that the clock ticks on us. The faster we can get people vaccinated and protected from the infection altogether, the fewer cases there are going to be,” said Dr. Threlkeld. “We have to be careful about completely going off the gas in the stuff that we’ve done to get the lead in this fight.”