Viral image questions the validity of dangerous COVID-19 variants

The high-profile nature of the source increases the post’s risk. These types of trending narratives provide an opportunity to use prebunking messaging to explain how viruses change over time. Messaging may emphasize that viral variants are a natural result of mutations, which will occur for as long as a virus can spread between hosts. COVID-19 continues to mutate and produce new variants and subvariants, but not all are equally dangerous. In addition, an overwhelming majority of Americans have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Talking points may continue to emphasize the importance of vaccines to protect against severe illness, hospitalization, long COVID, and death, and that especially for older adults and for the immunocompromised, COVID-19 still poses a risk.

Fact-Checking Source(s): Mayo Clinic