covid

COVID Variants Hint at How the Virus Will Evolve

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As the world sped towards a pandemic in early 2020, evolutionary biologist Jesse Bloom gazed into the future of SARS-CoV-2. Like many virus specialists at the time, he predicted that the new pathogen would not be eradicated. Rather, it would become endemic—the fifth coronavirus to permanently establish itself in humans, alongside four ‘seasonal’ coronaviruses that … Read more

Omicron: How do we stop coronavirus variants from evolving

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By Michael Le Page Artist’s rendering of the delta variant of the coronavirus Shutterstock / Fit Ztudio We are witnessing the scenario that many people feared unfold before our eyes. The new omicron variant can largely evade prior immunity and is spreading with alarming rapidity. And the really bad news is that there is every … Read more

Omicron Is Likely to Weaken COVID Vaccine Protection–but Boosters Could Restore It

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The fast-spreading Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant is highly likely to compromise some of the protection from vaccines, suggest the first laboratory studies of Omicron’s ability to evade immunity. But the preliminary results—released overnight by teams in South Africa, Germany, and Sweden, as well as the Pfizer-BioNtech collaboration—hint that protection conferred by existing COVID-19 vaccines won’t be … Read more

Covid-19 news: UK will see large wave of omicron, scientist says

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By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool Commuters make their way across London Bridge on 9 December, 2021 in London, England Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 11am on 10 December Omicron variant may be spreading faster … Read more