UK strain of Covid raises mutation that raises vaccine concerns

Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg

The strain of British coronavirus that has caused concern around the world has detected another mutation – in a few cases – which appears to make the virus more resistant to vaccines.

Scientists have identified the so-called E484K mutation in 11 different sequences of the new strain known as B.1.1.7, Public Health England said in an update. report Monday. The results come from a dataset of over 200,000 sequences.

The E484K mutation is present in the variants that have appeared in South Africa and Brazil, and it is believed to help the virus resist vaccines and therapeutic antibodies – and infect people who have fought Covid before.

The change is “a worrying development,” said Julian Tang, professor and clinical virologist at the University of Leicester, in remarks on the UK Science Media Center. “Assurances from recent studies showing that mRNA vaccines will still provide optimal protection against the original UK variant may no longer apply.”

It is not known whether the mutation occurred on its own or after a recombination process with one of the South African or Brazilian variants, a process common with influenza viruses but not coronaviruses, according to Tang.

Data from clinical trials have shown that variants may decrease the effectiveness of Covid vaccines, underscoring the need to vaccinate people faster before mutations become widespread. The drugmakers say they are working on booster shots that could improve the potency of their vaccines against the new mutations.