On Jan. 21, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and infectious Diseases of the NIH, reported that the new variant of the coronavirus which has surfaced in South Africa seems to be more resistant to both certain treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies, as well as current vaccines. “What we likely will be seeing is a diminution in the efficacy of the vaccine — more in South Africa than U.K.,” Fauci stated. The South African mutant — dubbed 501.V2 — is “having an effect on monoclonal antibodies used to treat COVID-19,” and that “vaccine effectiveness is diminished but still effective.”