Will the New Coronavirus Strain from England Tackle Down Super Bowl LV?

Why is it that with good news almost always bad news have to follow right behind? Just as the world was starting to breathe a much needed sigh of relief after the beginning of anti COVID vaccines making rounds around the world, reports of a variant strain of the COVID-19 virus spreading across parts of southern England came to bring the celebrations down to a pause. While high security and health protocol measures are already underway to try and restrain the effects of this new virus strain, preemptive alarms have started going off around in fear of a new overlapping wave of cases hitting the world in the beginning of 2021. 

With an event as big as the Super Bowl LV in the beginning of this month, should officials, teams and Super Bowl odds makers be worried about any possible effects that could come with this new virus strain?

So What’s This New Variant Strain All About?

Viruses just like any other living organism go through genetic structural changes through normal evolution. When a modification in the genetic coding of a virus is changed by even one or two letters of their genetic alphabet that’s when new variants start taking over in specific geographic regions, such is the case with this new strain hitting the UK. A bigger concern always is when a virus mutates by changing its surface proteins to help it escape from drugs or the immune system.

Initial reports from leading UK health officials have said that while the strain seems to infect easier there is yet no clear evidence of its mortality rates yet. CBS reported amongst other things that “the strain is also concerning because it has so many mutations -nearly two dozen.” Questions have been quick to arise with such doubts as the speed of its spreadability, the immediate effects it has on people and if the treatments being used as well as the new vaccines will work or not?

Different experts of the matter have already come out to try and calm down the growing nerves of the general population by stating that while we do still have to hold strict health and safety protocols, we shouldn’t have to necessarily over stress yet. It has been stated that many mutations have no real effects on this virus, as the redundancy in the genetic code is plentiful.

Could The Variant Affect Super Bowl LV Plans?

Sunday December 20th marked the starting point of several countries starting to ban travel from the UK entirely in order to avoid importing this new variety of virus. More than 40 countries have taken this ban or have severely restricted arrivals from the United Kingdom. While the United States are still considering what actions to take in regards to travel from the UK to the US, as of now there are no official measures taken yet.

What the US has been doing as of lately is rolling out the new anti-virus vaccines across the country to start ensuring people that better days are yet to come. While fears of this new strain of the virus coming to America are present, many respected health experts have already talked about how there should be no fear of this strain hitting the American population as long as all the already known health and safety protocols, including social distancing and the vaccination. With the surge of this vaccine the idea of big events such as the NFL’s Super Bowl LV, an event known as the marquee event for the sports entertainment industry in the US is becoming more and more of a safe reality. News that has football fans, sports betting fans and crowds all around starting to feel the excitement of better days coming.

League officials as well as officials from the Super Bowl LV organization committee have made it a mission to be able to offer fans the best experience possible under the circumstances we’re living in because of this pandemic. Hand in hand work with the National as well as Tampa Bay health department are well underway to ensure the upmost safety for when the game gets going. Talks of having vaccinated health care workers attend the game as NFL’s special honored guests is also in the works but all final measures will be known with certainty when we close up on the date.