CLEARWATER, Fla. — As COVID-19 vaccines make their way across the United States, a new strain of the virus is showing up in the United Kingdom and causing major concern in Florida and the rest of the United States.

Dr. Deepa Verma with Synergistiq Integrated Health in Clearwater said she is not surprised to hear the news out of the UK because this is the natural evolution of viruses.

Verma, who has done thousands of COVID-19 tests in her Clearwater office since the beginning of the pandemic, said this strain probably emerged in mid-September in the United Kingdom.

“So what we’ve identified here are about 23 mutations in the spike which is a protein that enters our cells and infects them,” Verma said. “And over the course, we’ve seen about 4,000 mutations since it left China. So the virus is going to constantly mutate.

“What they're looking at is increased transmissibility, over 70 percent. So it’s very easily spread.”

The mutations raise other questions, such as mortality rates and the body’s immune response.

“The concern here is because we have such exciting news with the vaccine and treatments out there, is it even going to be a moot point?”  Verma explained. “Will these be actually effective against it.”

“Because the vaccines are inducing antibodies against many different parts of the spike protein, the chances that all of them change are low, but they’re not there now,” according to Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser of Operation Warp Speed.

As doctors and researchers study the spread in the UK, Verma said there is no reason for Floridians and other Americans to panic.

“Really, what this is is about social distancing because the way we’re spreading this is when we let our guard down and we gather,” Verma said.