- CBN news medical reporter

Lorie Johnson joins us now with more.

Lorie, this variant, it'sapparently more contagious

than the one first detectedin the United Kingdom.

Is that correct?

- Well, scientists reallyaren't sure right now, Heather.

We don't know enough about it.

There are three majorconcerns with any variant.

How contagious is it? How virulent is it?

In other words, is it moredeadly than the other strains?

And also does the vaccine cover it?

We really don't know with this.

What we do know is thatin Northern California,

some people, some 400people who had COVID-19,

the strain of their virus was detected

and 25% of them had this variant,

only in December only 3% had it.

So it does require some further look.

- So, Lorie, how do healthexperts discover these variants?

- Well, it's through genetic sequencing

and really there isn't alot of genetic sequencing

of COVID-19 being donein the United States,

particularly compared toother developed countries

in Europe, for example.

And so basically what happensis people who have the virus,

scientists look at it

and look at the various genetic sequencing

and the the genetic makeup of it,

and if it's different fromthe other COVID-19 viruses,

well, then that's a mutation.

- [Heather] So just psychologically,

should we all be really bracing

for the possibility that there'sgoing to be more variants

and that they might not work,

you know, or that they mightbe resistant to a vaccine?

- Well, viruses always mutate

and scientists are alwayson the lookout for variants.

But, as you say, the mostconcerning variants are the ones

that are no longer underneath a vaccine,

no longer receptive to a vaccine,

or ones that are extremely contagious.

We know that this UK variantis highly, much more contagious

than the coronavirus thatwe've been used to in 2020.

50 to 70% more contagious.

And it is, the UK variant is expected

to be the dominant strain inthe United States by March.

The good news about the UK variant

is it is still susceptible to vaccines

and doesn't appear to be any more deadly.

- All right, well, Lorie Johnson,

appreciate you being at home,

appreciate your insights, thank you.

- My pleasure.- And we'll be right back.