Paulo Verardi, Associate Professor of Virology and Vaccinology at UConn, was asked to lend his expertise and opinion to The Conversation about coronavirus variants and just how concerned Americans should be about the emergence of variants and the speed at which they are spreading across the country and the globe.

Spring has sprung, and there is a sense of relief in the air. After one year of lockdowns and social distancing, more than 171 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S. and about 19.4% of the population is fully vaccinated. But there is something else in the air: ominous SARS-CoV-2 variants.

I am a virologist and vaccinologist, which means that I spend my days studying viruses and designing and testing vaccine strategies against viral diseases. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, this work has taken on greater urgency. We humans are in a race to become immune against this cagey virus, whose ability to mutate and adapt seems to be a step ahead of our capacity to gain herd immunity. Because of the variants that are emerging, it could be a race to the wire. April 08 - The Conversation 

Dr. Verardi discusses the the five SARS-CoV-2 variants we all need to be watching, the rates of transmission and the severity of symptoms, and why we all need to remain on guard and get vaccinated.

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Dr. Paulo Verardi is a virologist who specializes in vaccine research and development and is a member of the Center of Excellence for Vaccine Research. Dr. Verardi is available to speak with media regarding variants and COVID-19 – simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.