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¿Cómo es que los virus se mutan?

Los virus cambian todo el tiempo. Esto sucede debido a que se copian para reproducirse. Imagínese a nuestras células como si tuvieran sus propias fotocopiadoras, y el virus las va ocupando para sus propios fines. Cuando un virus hace una copia, a veces puede ocurrir un cambio aleatorio en el ADN de la copia -- la molécula doble en forma de espiral que actúa como un manual que le dice a nuestro cuerpo cómo desarrollarse y funcionar. Si ocurren suficientes de estos cambios conforme pasa el tiempo, puede surgir una nueva variación o tipo de virus.

Las mutaciones ocurren principalmente de dos maneras. En el primer caso, pequeños errores de copia en el virus resultan en cambios en las proteínas de la superficie del virus, las cuales se encuentran en el lado exterior del virus. Estas proteínas buscan adherirse a las células (al igual que los barcos que buscan atarse a un muelle). Estos cambios dan como resultado variaciones de virus más estrechamente relacionadas, tales como las nuevas variaciones del Covid-19.

Y en el segundo caso, dos variaciones infectan a la misma célula en el cuerpo de una persona y se combinan para formar un virus nuevo o "novedoso". Esto sucede a menudo cuando una variación que solo infecta a los animales entra en contacto con una variación humana. Esta versión de mutación podría haber creado el coronavirus que causa el Covid-19.

Nuestro sistema inmunológico responde de diferente manera hacia diferentes variaciones de virus entre cada persona, de la misma manera que las vacunas.

Viruses change all the time. That's because they copy themselves to reproduce. Think of our cells as having their own xerox machines, which the virus takes over for its own purposes. When a virus makes a copy, sometimes a random change can occur in the copy's DNA -- the double spiral-shaped molecule which acts as a manual telling our bodies how to develop and function. If enough of these changes happen over time, a new variation or strain of a virus can emerge. 

Mutations happen in two main ways. In the first, small copying errors in the virus lead to changes in the virus' surface proteins, which sit on the outside of the virus. These proteins look to attach to your cells (much like boats seeking to tie to a dock). These changes result in more closely related virus variations, like the new Covid-19 variants.

In the other way, two variations infect the same cell in a person's body and combine to form a new or "novel" virus. This often happens when a variation that only infects animals comes into contact with a human variation. This version of mutation could have created the novel coronavirus which causes Covid-19.

Our immune systems respond differently to different virus variations, and so do vaccines.

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When can I get my Covid vaccine?

Each state has its own plan for deciding who gets the covid vaccine first. Visit our interactive state map to visit your state public health department website for more information on vaccine availability and distribution.

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