LogFAQs > #950290515

Yes, for two reasons: Higher viral load identified in the upper respiratory tracts from people infected by either of the two and the fact that both variants have growing proportions of all samples that are sequenced, or have outright become the dominant variant, in the places where they have been identified.

I believe the UK variant is the more contagious of the two, but it still gets neutralized nearly as well by vaccines as the original variant. The SA variant isn't neutralized as readily, but the R0 for it would undoubtedly still be smashed down enough with mass vaccination to allow a booster to be made available specifically for it. And the vaccines still seem to prevent death and hospitalizations from the SA variant.

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Essy