And now the really, really bad COVID News from Europe. A new Covid-19 variant called the “B117” strain is now in 33 countries including the United States. According to the science, the new strain has proven to be between 30%-90% more deadly than the original coronavirus strain.
To make matters far worse, recent research shows that Moderna and Pfizer vaccines protect against the variant, but less effectively. With this in mind, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, had this to say recently:
“The situation is extremely serious, although the rapid pace of vaccine rollouts over the coming weeks offered hope. Analysts have warned that should the new “mutant” strains become dominant in Europe, further travel restrictions and lockdowns could damage the bloc’s already ailing economy.”
In a press conference on January 29th, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters: the “United Kingdom vaccines proved to be less effective against the new variant of the virus.” He went on to say the situation is a “wake up call for everyone because the new variants will continue to evolve until it is blocked from replicating.”
This news adds greatly to the level of uncertainty officials and citizens feel over the second and third waves of a virus some leaders claimed would disappear all on its own. Fauci’s warning is a stunning revelation, given the fact vaccine rollouts are taking so long.