Virus Variants: Something To Fear?

In March 2020, most Americans assumed that COVID-19 would sweep through the nation and be gone within the span of two weeks. In the summer of 2020, those week-long predictions stretched into months. Would the virus be gone by Christmas? By 2021, worried Americans were beginning to wonder: how many years until this would all be over? So, why hasn’t COVID-19 disappeared yet? What’s taking so long? While there are numerous reasons why COVID-19 remains prevalent in the United States, much of COVID-19’s longevity can be boiled down to one key biological principle: viruses are always changing. 

Sometimes, these changes are minute and don’t affect the virus’s overall transmission rates or virulence. Other times, however, these changes are so significant that they are labeled “virus variants,” the infection rates and lethality of which can deviate from the original virus. Therefore, any conversation about viruses that lacks mention of variants would be incomplete. Virus variants are essential to understanding viruses and why they stick around for so long.

“A variant is where the virus has one or more mutations in the genetic code,” Dr. Jeffrey Silvers, infectious disease specialist, said. “With the incredible number of people with COVID in the world, the number of mutations that are occurring is enormous.” 

Put differently, due to the far-reaching spread of COVID-19, the virus is rapidly mutating, resulting in a multitude of variants. A given variant might become more commonplace if its respective mutations enhance its capacity to survive, infect, or reproduce. Occasionally, scientists can forecast which mutations might become problematic for human health. “A variant of interest is defined as a group of mutations that are predicted to reduce our ability to diagnose or treat the virus and may have increased transmissibility and virulence,” said Dr. Silvers.

Of course, certain variants, such as those which have a greater ability to evade the immune system or disrupt normal bodily functions, can complicate the process of combatting the virus overall. This dilemma can be framed in terms of the current pandemic. “Because there are so many variants, whenever we manage to get through one variant, like Delta, sometimes we right away get another, like Omicron,” Marianne Sekany, registered nurse, said. “The scary thing is wondering whether, after Omicron, there’s going to be another variant.” 

This worry that is shared by many medical professionals truly underscores the gravity of the current pandemic. While society may be on the verge of overcoming the current variant, it’s impossible to know if another variant awaits in the future. Moreover, this rapid succession of new variants can make it difficult to develop effective vaccines that curb viral propagation. This is partly due to the fact that vaccines stimulate the creation of antibodies, which are meant to inhibit viruses by binding to a specific component of their structure (in the case of COVID-19, the antibody binds to a part of its spike proteins).

“Some mutations in viruses can alter their three-dimensional shape,” said Dr. Silvers. “Certain combinations of mutations that can be very successful (from the virus viewpoint) can occur. These mutated viruses are able to more effectively evade our immune system.” 

In other words, these antibodies that are produced as a result of the vaccines are trained to inhibit the virus according to its original shape. Since variants can have shapes that differ from the original virus, the antibodies induced by the vaccine are often rendered ineffective. Given that variants present numerous obstacles to virus containment, it’s essential that medical professionals prepare for new variants ahead of time.

“The best way to prepare for new variants is through modern science,” said Dr. Silvers. “Genomic sequencing of enormous numbers of specimens from around the world has enabled us to determine and follow mutations. There are definite patterns to which mutations are worrisome and likely to get passed on.”

But this preparation is no easy task, and the incessant onslaught of new COVID-19 strains has placed serious pressure on hospitals, exposing certain issues that had previously underlied the healthcare industry. 

“Burnout and medical staff illness have been highlighted by the pandemic,” said Sekany. “Taking care of very sick patients and operating hospitals at full capacity can be utterly exhausting… Not to mention, many nurses and medical professionals really feared for their health at the beginning [of the pandemic]—we didn’t know what we were dealing with.” 

In short, virus variants can wield great power, and are sometimes capable of being even more infectious or deadly than the original virus. Therefore, in the face of Omicron, COVD-19’s latest variant, it’s more important than ever to adhere to the guidelines set forth by medical professionals. 

“Wear a mask, get your vaccine and booster, maintain personal hygiene, and just be careful,” Sekany said.