Osmosis video - COVID-19 mutant variants and herd immunity

Several different mutant variants of the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) have been identified. Some of the known variants of the COVID-19 virus include variant B.1.351(Beta), which was first identified in South Africa in October 2020; P.1(Gamma) discovered in Japan in late 2020; and B.1.1.7 (Alpha), which was first discovered in the UK in late 2020.

The spread of new variants implies that more people will need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. Herd immunity is the resistance to the spread of an infectious disease within a population, which occurs when a sufficient percentage of the population has been immunized, or vaccinated against the disease. For covid19, its currently estimated that herd immunity can be achieved if a population is vaccinated at above 66%.