More COVID variants likely to evolve
Dear Dr. Roach: We know COVID-19 came from Wuhan, China. Where are the delta and other variants coming from?
D.B.
Answer: COVID-19 was first described in Wuhan, China. Most authorities believe it evolved from a bat coronavirus.
Viruses infect cells and “tell” them to start creating large numbers of viruses using the virus’s own RNA. The mechanism to copy the RNA over and over again is not perfect, and errors — called mutations — lead to different variants of the viruses. Some of these lead to no significant change; others have adverse results for the virus. However, a few variants have accumulated mutations that lead them to be able to spread more quickly.
The “variants of concern” get a Greek letter designation. Currently, alpha and delta have been found to be more transmissible. All variants, as far as we know, are viral mutants from the original Wuhan outbreak.
Because of the large number of people infected worldwide, the sheer number of viruses being replicated makes it likely that more worrisome variants will continue to accrue.
Reducing overall infections is critical to reduce the likelihood of a more dangerous variant. Universal vaccination is the best way of achieving that. Masks and other measures reduce spread.
Dear Dr. Roach: My family want me to get the COVID shot. I am very afraid because I am an old lady. I just had my 99th birthday. I am in good health most of the time. I haven’t seen anyone over 75 get the vaccine. Could you tell me what to do?
L.M.
Answer: Congratulations on your birthday.
I can’t tell you what to do. What I can tell you for sure is that many people have gotten vaccinated at a very great age. Over 200 people verifiably over the age of 105 have been vaccinated, so I’m afraid you won’t be in any record books. Because COVID-19 is so dangerous to our oldest citizens, it is particularly important to get the vaccine. There are risks to the vaccine, but these are generally small compared with the benefit of being protected against COVID-19.