While the B.1.617 may be more transmissible, research shows that current Covid-19 vaccines will provide strong protection.
Because of two concerning mutations, the variant from India has been given a scary nickname “double mutant,” an incorrect term that is “completely unhelpful,” says Dr. Deepta Bhattacharya, associate professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. In fact, all the identified variants of concern — including the B.1.1.7 from the U.K., the B.1.351 from South Africa and the P.1 from Brazil — possess one or more mutations, he says.
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