The emergence in the United Kingdom (UK) of a variant of the COVID-19 virus has raised new fears around  the  world, but  the German firm BioNTech which developed  the Pfizer vaccine said it has “scientific  confidence” its drug will also work on the variant. The proteins in the variant are  99 percent the  same as those in the virus now  spreading around the world, Dr.  Ugur Sahin  who developed the vaccine with his wife Dr. Ozlem Tureci  said.  There is zero evidence that there is an increase in severity  from  the variant, he said. He added his team would need around  two weeks to test its vaccine on the new variant  and “the likelihood that our  vaccine works is relatively high.” Should the vaccine need to be adjusted for the new  variant, the company could do so in about six weeks, Dr. Sahin said. This is the first reassuring statement about the new COVID-19 variant since it emerged recently in the UK, followed by South Africa.  The report  sent  a new wave of concern around the world. We are just beginning mass vaccinations against COVID-19 but already there is  a  new variant. Our own President Duterte was quick to act  on the report of the  UK variant   the day it was reported, he appoved a recommendation to ban all flights from the UK to the Philippines,  and to subject  all travelers from countries reporting cases of the new strain  to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Most of the  world  is reeling today from  the pandemic, with  the United States  passing 20 million cases on New Year’s Day, amid reports of a very slow pace of vaccination.  More than 3,900 people died in one day  alone – Wednesday, December 23 --  and health workers fear  the worst is yet to come  as a result of the  holiday gatherings. President-elect Joseph Biden, who takes office on January 20,  asked  Americans to wear face  masks to slow down the virus, but it seems this matter falls under the jurisdiction of state governments, not the  federal government. Outgoing President Donald Trump himself has given mixed messages on mask wearing and social distancing  and has repeatedly downplayed the risks of COVID-19  infection. The  COVID-19 situation remains uncertain in most of the world but the   fear over the new strain  of the virus has been allayed by the team behind the Pfizer vaccine. Even with the vaccine, the world will have to live  with the constant threat of some new virus emerging. It is a new world that we just have to face with greater care and with greater respect  for   the natural order.