One thing I learned in grade school about bacteria and viruses is that all germs (all living things) evolve and mutate, but that viruses are quite dynamic mutators in the microcosmic world. From the beginning of our pandemic, medical specialists and agencies have constantly reminded us that viruses can wreak havoc on the human body, and mutate requiring complex vaccination protection.

Today, the COVID-19 virus has mutated several times, as described in this article from Yale Medicine, Omicron, Delta, Alpha, and More: What To Know About the Coronavirus Variants. Knowing the variant that is reported in your area, and knowing its virulence is key to your health and your family’s survival. On the CDC website, you can enter your state and county to get up-to-date information about the virus at your location and track any infection changes recorded.

We are unsure whether the COVID-19 variants that have evolved are more deadly than the original. What is true is that it is more contagious. Two articles from Science.org discuss this possibility, The pandemic virus is slowly mutating. But is it getting more dangerous?, and California coronavirus strain may be more infectious—and lethal.

Continue to wear a mask in public, practice social distancing of 3-to-6 feet, and get tested, for free!