Covid-β

Read as “Covid-beta.” Also known as the B.1.351 or “Beta” variant. The South African variant, which has been detected in at least 40-odd countries, is believed to evade antibodies, thus making recovered infected people despite their existing immunity prone to reinfection.

Insufficient data cannot conclude whether Covid-β causes more severe illness than earlier versions of the coronavirus, or whether current vaccines may be less effective for this variant, which may also be transmitted faster.

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