VACCINES & VARIANTS

THE writing has been on the wall since the start of the pandemic – and just like the experts warned, South Africa now finds itself in the clutches of a cataclysmic third wave of infections.

In Gauteng, hospitals have run out of beds as the virus spreads like wildfire through the province, and our economy continues to take a beating with lockdown level 4 having been extended to stave off the scourge.

By all accounts, the third wave is more devastating and overwhelming than the first two. Fortunately, SA’s vaccination programme seems to be ramping up as more and more citizens get the jab.

But how exactly will the vaccine protect you from the new variant? And will it work if the virus mutates again?

We asked the experts to answer all your burning questions.

THE VARIANTS

ALPHA, BETA, DELTA: JUST HOW MANY VARIANTS ARE THERE?

To date several SARS-CoV-2 variants have been documented. But not all variants persist,