by Emmy Ribero, Current staff writer
Just as vaccines are rolling out worldwide, 10 new recognized variants of the coronavirus have appeared. There are 7 strands that are being recognized as “of interest,” while 3 are “of concern.” New variants pop up every day that the coronavirus spreads, but yet only a handful will make it to the World Health Organizations list of diseases to monitor. The three of concern originated in the U.K., Brazil, and South Africa. The B.1617 variant, considered “of interest,” is a triple mutant strain and is currently wreaking havoc in India. However, there is some good news for people who have been fortunate enough to receive any of the Covid-19 Vaccines.
In early May, India has passed 20 million cases in their deadly second wave of the coronavirus. They also are at a shortage of medical supplies to treat the patients suffering from this strand. There has been nearly 300,000 new cases a day for 2 weeks straight, while deaths surge at 220,000 and experts say these numbers may be much higher because of the country’s lack of testing and hospital beds. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia called on its army to send its oxygen from its reserves to the patients that crowd the hospitals.
There are many ways that people can help India during this crisis. One is careindia.org/covid-19/ which is an organization supplying PPE supplies to frontline workers and helping set up Covid-19 specific hospitals during this crisis. Donating any amount to this organization would help them continue to take care of this country. Additionally, UNICEF, Project HOPE, Americares, and giving to India’s COVID Response Fund are all good ways to make your donation too.
While the new mutations and variants of coronavirus make it seem like this is going to be a never ending problem, the vaccines have been proven effective for protecting against these as well. They are not completely resistant to these strands, but there is at least some protection. That means that a vaccinated individual may experience some symptoms to the variants, but they will likely not be severe. That being said, it is still important to wear masks in public until there is more control over the curve in order to also keep from more mutations from being created.
It is crucial for anyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated to do so when they can. Some may feel hesitant to get vaccinated because they do not want to take the appointment of someone who needs it. There are vaccines that go to waste everyday, so do not feel guilty for getting your vaccine if you are young and healthy. Vaccine hesitancy will cause more mutations and variants to be created and it is important to get this situation under control.