Why COVID vaccination progress at home risks being undone by spread of variants abroad – CBC

The more opportunities the virus has to spread, the more likely it is to mutate, scientist says

Jun 02, 2021

Variants of the coronavirus sweeping through parts of the globe are a stark reminder that despite the increase in vaccinations in North America, there are still millions of people at risk of infection.

Allowing the virus to run amok in other countries also risks putting the entire world in jeopardy and losing any gains made through COVID-19 vaccinations, some scientists suggest.

That’s because the more opportunities the virus has to spread, the more likely it is to mutate, said Dr. Priya Sampathkumar, chair of infection prevention and control at the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic.

“If we allow infection to spread unchecked, in a month or two months or inevitably at some point in time, we’ll have another variant that completely escapes all the vaccine,” Sampathkumar said.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/covid-19-variants-vaccine-setback-1.6046643