Variant or ‘Scariant’: When to Worry About Covid Virus Strains
Plus, the most important way to prevent more variants from emerging
Although the word “mutation” often conjures frightening associations, such as three-headed fish or The Andromeda Strain, in reality, mutations are simply changes that arise in DNA or RNA. Reproduction is one opportunity for these changes to emerge, creating the starting material for evolution, including in viruses. In this way, as researcher Nathan D. Grubaugh and colleagues wrote back in March 2020, mutations are just “a humdrum aspect of life for an RNA virus.”
But recent reporting about mutated variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has understandably caused some anxiety. When the data don’t confirm reasons to worry, Eric Topol, MD, professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, has coined a term for these variants: “scariants.”
But the concerns linger. Why do specific variants make headlines, and how much do you need to worry about them? Here’s what you need to know.
What is a variant and why do they occur?
A variant is a version of the pathogen that contains mutations compared to a reference SARS-CoV-2 virus. The reference virus is typically the most common circulating one, and the variant…
