(CNN) A new, more contagious and potentially more deadly variant of the coronavirus is spreading across the US, and health officials are worried. The B.1.1.7 variant, first spotted in the UK, is not only more easily transmitted, but it also appears to be more deadly . But vaccines appear to protect well against B.1.1.7 and treatments such as monoclonal antibodies also appear to work against this particular variant, Fauci said. Real-life use of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines indicate that while the B.1.1.7 variant can elude, somewhat, the immune response prompted by immunization , it's not enough to make the vaccines any less effective in protecting people. Ugur Sahin of BioNTech and colleagues tested blood from 40 volunteers immunized with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against lab-engineered versions of the B.1.1.7 variant.

Source: CNN March 20, 2021 10:07 UTC