At this point in the pandemic, all eyes are on the triple “Vs”: The virus, the vaccines, and the variants. As we cross the demarcation of 400,000 Covid deaths and deal with the mismanagement of the vaccine roll-out, we now need to keep a close eye on the multiple variants of Covid-19 that are circling the globe. It’s important for everyone to understand what these variants are, what they can do, and how you can further protect yourself in order to prevent infection of yourself and your loved ones.

First, what are these variants? While to date we have more questions than answers, you need to know that it’s not uncommon for a virus to mutate as it jumps from one human to another, and Covid-19 has been doing that throughout the pandemic, with little impact on illness or vaccine development. FYI- a mutation constitutes a genetic change in the virus and a variant is a virus with a specific set of mutations. In places around the globe, including Britain, South Africa, and Brazil, we are now seeing variants that appear to be developing an “evolutionary edge” in our race to contain Covid-19, with properties that allow for the faster spread of the Covid-19 virus and easier transmission and infection. While there doesn’t seem to be more severe illness associated with these variants, it seems inevitable that faster spread means more infections, leading to more hospitalizations (on already overburdened health care systems) and ultimately more deaths. And while to date experts feel confident that the vaccines developed will still be effective against these variants, there is some concern about rising re-infection among certain populations.

So the question then arises how do we protect ourselves and our population more broadly against these encroaching variants, at least one of which is predicted to be the dominant strain of Covid in the US by March. Across the board, the consistent advice we’ve had for months continues to be critical: wear a mask, physically distance yourself from others by at least 6 feet, and by all means, get vaccinated as soon as you can. But as Dr. Thomas Frieden, former Director of the CDC has made clear, “We need to not just do more of the same. We need to do better for the same.” While more adults appear to be following guidance to wear a mask and socially distance, there continue to be large partisan differences regarding adherence and there is a growing consensus that the cloth masks that much of the population has now adopted are really not sufficient for keeping ourselves protected, especially with these new variants. It seems the time for us all to wear medical-grade masks and to boost our manufacturing of such masks has long passed. In the meantime, experts now recommend that you wear a mask with multiple layers or perhaps even wear double masks if the mask you are currently using is flimsy and not medical grade.

What else can and should you be doing? Remember, even if you’ve been vaccinated you can still be at risk. Given the uptick in variant Covid strains, experts recommend that you avoid any and all optional trips that will put you in physical contact with someone outside your home for the foreseeable future. And if you must go, make it quick- five minutes inside a store is one thing- but thirty minutes definitely puts you at risk, even if you’re taking precautions. And for some visual guidance on how to make sure your physical distance is at least 6 feet apart from another, pull out your tape measure and watch here.