The New York strain of the COVID-19 may infect vaccinated and recovered patients, former head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Scott Gottlieb, noted.

According to him, the new strain is not afraid of immune antibodies produced due to a previous illness, and even a vaccine.

According to The Daily Mail, the former FDA chief said it was not yet known whether the new strain was responsible for the increased incidence in parts of New York. An increase in the number of new cases is registered in the territory of New York State, despite the fact that more than 7.4 million injections have already been received here. Nearly 2.4 million have been fully vaccinated, or 12.6% of the state's population.

Gottlieb's statement came just a day after protesters gathered in Manhattan, who pressed the authorities to cancel the order on mandatory wearing of masks and asked not to demand vaccinations from everyone in a row. Although it is done voluntarily, some workers are unable to return to duty if they have not been vaccinated.