Researchers strain to stay ahead of Covid-19 variants in pandemic race

As new variants of the Covid-19 virus emerge, scientists are tracking how easily they spread and whether the virus is getting better at evading the protection provided by vaccines.

While virus mutations are natural, understanding whether some new variants are improving the pathogen’s ability to spread, infect or reduce the effectiveness of vaccines is a key part of pandemic control. Health experts agree that vaccinations and other measures to reduce disease spread are critical to blocking new strains emerging.