What to Know About the New COVID Variants | SciShow News

Two new versions of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the UK and South African variants, were announced in December. They've spread quickly in their countries of origin, and have begun popping up around the world. Join us to find out what makes them different and how scientists plan to combat them.

Hosted by: Stefan Chin

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[ConstantChaos]

Just finished watching the news, time to watch videos about the pandemic to relax

[elijazfrazelsassafraz]

Plague inc mutations hitting different in 2021

[i.gaskoid]

This is so cool. I grew up watching Sci-Show and today I'm watching this video as one of the (many) researchers involved in the genomic epidemiology consortium which first found the variant in the UK. This research being communicated so accessibly and accurately makes my heart feel so warm.

[militantpacifist]

5:37 Germaphobes: Way ahead of you!
5:39 introverts/asocial people: Way ahead of you!

[gerRule]

There’s now a Brazilian strain 2 days after this video was recorded

[ikeekieeki]

thank you for putting the date of filming at the beginning of the video

[Bayerd]

I'm glad this channel is keeping people updated. I trust them more then who's on the news 😅

[raeorion]

December 2020 throws in new variations Covid-19 just to be like the cut scene at the end of a Marvel movie 🥴

[michaelsotomayor]

Comments on this channel have come a long way since the pat 5 years. It's like evolving but backwards.

[IceMetalPunk]

Hm. Yep, I had to go back and re-read the name of this channel. It is indeed SciShow, which I assumed was short for "Science Show". And yet, the number of people in the comments who think this is all some conspiracy (either for government control, pharmaceutical profit, or otherwise) is something like 10%. That's *so damn high* for comments on a channel that's meant to be about evidence-based understanding.

[crossedkeys]

Extremely well explained. Can the UK government hire you to provide the updates?

[WhichDoctor]

Here in the uk it’s been pretty scary watching the numbers explode since the new year. But the new lockdown is starting to work. New infections are dropping, so we know lockdowns still work. it’s just a shame our government waited over a week to bring it in as usual so things are way worse than they needed to be. Our health system is already over capacity in many places though and we’ve still got a week or so before we hit the peak of the spike in hospitalisations 😨

I hope other countries take it more seriously like the republic of Ireland has. Lockdown fast and hard, don’t give it a chance to get out of control

[vic]

Viruses mutate. They just do. Especially retroviruses like HIV or COVID-19. They use RNA polymerase to replicate instead of DNA polymerase. RNA polymerase has a *much* higher error rate and lacks the "proofreading" capabilities of DNA polymerase. At least that's what I learned in college (I have a Bachelor's in Biology).

[jordanekl]

This is the video i have been waiting for concerning covid. And i really appreciate your update devotion. Couldnt ask for a better and more informal video to watch at the end of my birthday. Thank you guys for having served information for this many years, and hopefully many more years to come as well <3

[jankuschef]

Yep, I remember these exponential transmission discussions from March last year. Pretty scary

[ralphzimmermann]

great video, perfect for sending to friends family for a simple explanation

[Beryllahawk]

I am so glad that your messages about Covid19 are consistently calm and gently optimistic. You aren't giving any one false hope but you're also most definitely not fear mongering. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. I already have anxiety, and the last 12 months have been hellish at times. Headlines that shriek panic at me are no help at all. THIS video? Yes. Helpful.
Thank you.

[SeanDeryk]

Can we do an episode on how effective lockdowns are now with all the new data from last year's lockdowns?

[InnocuousRemark]

Stefan was like aw man I gotta do this can't I do an episode about how snails see with their slime or something

[golfgrabu]

As usual, you guys are great to turn indecipherable science jargon into something easy and clear to understand! This is especially important for the time being! Great job and thank you for your great work. Respect.