Will COVID-19 vaccines work on the new coronavirus variant?

Experts say current COVID-19 vaccines will likely work on the new variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom, but are working to confirm that. The variant in the U.K. has caused alarm because of the possibility that it might spread more easily. Viruses often undergo small changes as they move through a population. If a virus mutates significantly enough, one worry is that current vaccines might no longer give as much protection. And although that’s a possibility to watch for over time with the coronavirus, experts say they don’t believe it will be the case with the U.K. variant.