Officials at Bryan Health say there is no concern from the CDC that a new mutated strain of COVID-19 will impact the effectiveness of vaccines. At a press conference Thursday, Medical Director of Infection Prevention Dr. Jim Nora explained experts are still learning about the new, more infectious version of the virus spreading across the U.S.
“The truth is we don't really know. I don't want to mislead people and say there's a guarantee that the vaccine will always work. That may not be the case. But right now, there are no warning signs or any information coming from public health authorities that the vaccine will not work," he said.
Dr. Nora said mutations are common in viruses, and the CDC is already monitoring differences between COVID-19 strains. He added available vaccines are over 90% effective, and will still give people a boost in fighting the virus, even if it’s mutated. So far, no cases of the variation have surfaced in Nebraska.