(WSIL) -- After 14 months and more than 100-million COVID-19 cases across the world, more mutated variants are being discovered.
In Illinois, two cases of the so-called '69-70 deletion lineage' were identified at Reditus Laboratories in Pekin.
CEO Dr. Aaron Rossi says scientists haven't found links between the mutation and the UK COVID-19 Variant. But they are similar in nature.
"There's a lot of back and forth on it as you can probably imagine," Rossi said.
So far, scientists across the U.S. have identified 14 such cases. Rossi believes more cases of the variant could pop up soon, which is why researchers are moving as quick as possible.
It's possible the COVID-19 vaccines out on the market could defend against the new strain, Rossi says. But only time will tell.
"Individuals definitely should be paying attention to what's going on and still be cautious," Rossi said. "We 're not out of the woods yet and I think people still need to be cautious as we're rolling out this vaccine."
Rossi adds that washing your hands, wearing your mask and social distancing are the best precautions to take as new variants emerge.
