Can the Same Vaccines Protect Against New COVID Strains?

As many as a dozen COVID-19 variants are knowingly circulating worldwide. Among them, B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, the highly transmissible strains that originated in the U.K. and South Africa, respectively. As more vaccines continue to push forward for emergency approval worldwide, we're still learning the effectiveness of the current vaccines against the new strains; and how the new mutations mean even those who have already had COVID-19 may not be immune from reinfection. To explore the new strains and what it means for vaccination efforts, future mutations, and herd immunity, Angela Rasmussen, PhD, a virologist with Georgetown University's Center for Global Health Science and Security, joins us on this week's episode.