The Greek alphabet marches on - now the Epsilon Variant is heading our way.

[Crossy]

Vaccine-Resistant Epsilon Variant of Covid-19 Detected in Pakistan, Raises Alarm For India

New Delhi: Another variant of coronavirus, Epsilon, which was first identified in California in 2020, has reached closer to home. The highly transmissible covid variant has been recently detected in Pakistan, making it a cause of concern for India, which shares its border with the country. Researchers have said that the Epsilon strain of Covid-19 is resistant to all available vaccines.

 

More here https://www.india.com/news/world/epsilon-variant-coronavirus-vaccine-resistant-highly-transmissible-pakistan-all-you-need-to-know-4857023/

 

[Jeffr2]

Until more are vaccinated, mutations will keep cropping up. Crazy times.

[drenddy]

We had british variant, then indian, I wonder, will we have a chinese one?

[placeholder]

1 hour ago, drenddy said:

We had british variant, then indian, I wonder, will we have a chinese one?

So you're claiming that the virus didn't originate in China? 

[Denim]

On 8/3/2021 at 12:09 PM, Crossy said:

Researchers have said that the Epsilon strain of Covid-19 is resistant to all available vaccines.

Just hope the new vaccines they are working on will rectify this.

 

If any new vaccines do come out with greatly improved efficacy then I hate to imagine the scramble to get hold of them that will follow.

[watthong]

On 8/3/2021 at 2:21 PM, Jeffr2 said:

Until more are vaccinated, mutations will keep cropping up. Crazy times.

Right on. 

Latest discussion trend re variant du jour is only the mRNA, pardon the pun, of the whole hysteria over Covid, which (the hysteria that is, covid is here to stay) won't be over until the majority of people get vaccinated. It's like people walking on tightrope without handrail, the chatter never ceases. (Self) education should help separate the wheat from the chaff as far as information is concerned, unfortunately it seems a bitter pill to take for the majority of folks. So let's continue the hysterics over what's next vicious variant vs. imperfect vaccine cycle on the horizon, while bobbing from one covid wave to the next.

[Jeffr2]

11 minutes ago, watthong said:

Right on. 

Latest discussion trend re variant du jour is only the mRNA, pardon the pun, of the whole hysteria over Covid, which (the hysteria that is, covid is here to stay) won't be over until the majority of people get vaccinated. It's like people walking on tightrope without handrail, the chatter never ceases. (Self) education should help separate the wheat from the chaff as far as information is concerned, unfortunately it seems a bitter pill to take for the majority of folks. So let's continue the hysterics over what's next vicious variant vs. imperfect vaccine cycle on the horizon, while bobbing from one covid wave to the next.

Hysteria over covid? I'd say the estimated 10 million who've died from it would hardly call it hysteria. Sadly, even with vaccines, it's here to stay. Just like the Spanish flu. Still with us today, and still a killer.

[grain]

Well if this is true then we're all foooooked. I'm getting the AZ vax in 2 days time, and now I read this story, so I'm just wasting my damn time driving to BKK to get a vax that is going to give me SFA protection against the next lousy highly infectious vaccine resistant strain coming our way. 

[mfd101]

1 hour ago, grain said:

Well if this is true then we're all foooooked. I'm getting the AZ vax in 2 days time, and now I read this story, so I'm just wasting my damn time driving to BKK to get a vax that is going to give me SFA protection against the next lousy highly infectious vaccine resistant strain coming our way. 

That's probably not accurate. What a new variant MAY mean (but not necessarily) is that the protection you get will be a little less for that variant than the protection you're getting from the previous variant.

 

With the current Delta variant sweeping the world, the problem is that it's highly infectious but the evidence to date is that the best vaxes (AZ, Pf, Mod) are as effective against it as against the previous variants and even SV gives useful protection.

[grain]

45 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

That's probably not accurate. What a new variant MAY mean (but not necessarily) is that the protection you get will be a little less for that variant than the protection you're getting from the previous variant.

 

With the current Delta variant sweeping the world, the problem is that it's highly infectious but the evidence to date is that the best vaxes (AZ, Pf, Mod) are as effective against it as against the previous variants and even SV gives useful protection.

I sure hope that's the case, but the OP article did state "Researchers have said that the Epsilon strain of Covid-19 is resistant to all available vaccines." Which is not something a person just about to be vaccinated likes to read. ????