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If the current wave of COVID-19 in the United States continues unabated through the fall and winter, the country will likely face an even more deadly strain of the virus that could escape current coronavirus vaccines, said NIAID Director Anthony Fauci in McClatchy on Wednesday.
Why is this important: Fauci’s comments underscore the importance of acting quickly to vaccinate the tens of millions of Americans who have not been vaccinated against the virus.
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The big picture: As the virus continues to spread due to insufficient vaccination rates, it has “a lot” of time to mutate into a new, more dangerous variant in the fall and winter, Fauci said.
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“[Q]Quite frankly, we are very fortunate that the vaccines we have now work very well against variants – especially serious illnesses, ”Fauci said, noting that this might not be the case with a new variant.
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“If another one comes along who has an equally high transmission capacity but is also much more serious, then we could really be in trouble,” he said.
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“People who don’t get vaccinated mistakenly think it’s just them. But this is not the case. It is also for everyone.
Inventory: Other variants are already emerging.
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South Korea said on Tuesday it had detected two cases of the Delta Plus variant, one in a man recently returned from the United States, Reuters reports. Some experts believe that the Delta Plus variant could be more contagious than the Delta variant.
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The Lambda variant, which originated in Peru last year, has already been detected in the United States
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Recent studies have indicated that Lambda may be more resistant to current COVID-19 vaccines, according to Reuters.
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