A more infectious coronavirus strain was identified

A more infectious coronavirus strain was identified (Jack Taylor/Getty Images) Why it matters: Several European Union countries and Canada have suspended flights from the UK after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a new coronavirus strain that's up to 70% more infectious has been identified in the country. However, there is no evidence that it is more deadly, and experts say vaccines should still protect against it. Get your science on: The real wowzer from this story, according to SmartBrief's Health Care guru Melissa Turner, is that the distinct phylogenetic cluster being investigated acquired 17 mutations all at once. That has never been seen before. But Melissa noted not all mutations will necessarily affect the behavior of the virus, so we will have to wait for scientists to dig more deeply into the data to understand what they mean. If you want to dive into the research, check out the Science link below. Full Story: The Associated Press (12/21),  Reuters (12/19),  Science (tiered subscription model) (12/20)