After almost a year since the major quarantine began, there has been a new strain of the coronavirus found in the United Kingdom. As of right now, the CDC doesn’t know how it got to be there, but its discovery has caused another lockdown in the UK. With 1,108 cases as of December of the mutant, it’s to be expected. It is also predicted to soon come to the United States, with CDC saying it could already be here without notice.

Differences between this variation and the original coronavirus we all “know and love” include the fact that the strain is highly, highly contagious. It’s 70% more transmissible, but it is not any more deadly. Some pandemic fighters say they see a looming threat coming in the near future. Evidence suggests the new strain to be transmitted from person to person, so if Americans aren’t vaccinated soon, the country could face huge spikes in infections.

There was fear with the vaccine even working with the strain, and many people were worried about not having any defense against the mutated coronavirus. But, after some more research, it is predicted that a vaccine for the UK strain will only need some minor tweaking for it to also be effective.

To avoid it, all people need to do is what they should be doing right now. They should be washing their hands, social distancing, and wearing masks in public at almost all times, save for eating of course. “Adhering strictly to those rules and avoiding unnecessary outings will help prevent its spread,” says Tia Ghose in “Fast-spreading UK coronavirus variant: All your questions answered.”