# Science Is Fun: SARS-CoV-2 and Its Variants

[Podcast] - Published on March 4, 2021 in Science and Society

Welcome to this new episode of *La science s’aMuse*, the science show co-produced by UM and Divergence-FM that takes you on a journey through the Muse laboratory archipelago. This week our guests are Samuel Alizon and Mircea Sofonea. They are epidemiologists at Mivegec and last February produced a report showing the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants. They discuss this with us in a thirty-minute in-depth interview.

And once again this week, we’re bringing you a topic that’s making headlines. It’s a hot-button issue that hasn’t lost its relevance, even if it may seem repetitive given the surreal reality this virus has forced upon us for the past year. From the Vendée to the Var, via the Vienne and the Vosges, we’re all talking about the same thing: variants. While our travels have gone virtual and our dreams of escape have been dashed, they’re spreading from one city to the next. Viral rivals to COVID-2020—virulent in the British variant or versatile in the South African one—their evolution in the face of the vaccine is throwing Minister Véran—and us—into disarray.

So, since a well-informed listener is worth two, let’s take stock of the situation with our guests today, Samuel Alizon and Mircea Sofonea. In February, they conducted and published an analysison the spread of these strains, referred to as “variants,” and announced, slightly ahead of everyone else, that their spread might be a bit further along than we thought…
There will be no second part of the show today, as we’re bringing you a full-length interview.

# Science Is Fun: SARS-CoV-2 and Its Variants

Related reading:

Science is Fun—you’ve got the ticket, let’s go!