Washington, United States — It is not yet certain whether the new coronavirus variant discovered in Britain is more contagious, but the US is conducting studies to learn more, a top official said Monday.
Moncef Slaoui, chief advisor to the Operation Warp Speed vaccine program, added he expected that lab experiments would show the new strain would respond to existing vaccines and treatments.
While several countries have shut their borders to Britain, Slaoui said it was possible the variant has long been prevalent in the United Kingdom — but that scientists had not begun looking for it until now, creating the impression of a surge when they did.
“There is no hard evidence that …
Keep on reading: ‘No hard evidence’ new virus variant more contagious, says US official