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Researchers in Oregon have found a case of a rapidly spreading COVID-19 variant carrying a mutation that may be less affected by existing vaccines developed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
The case, found on February 6, involved the UK variant, also known as B.1.1.7 and believed to be more deadly and contagious than the original strain of COVID-19.
This variant has been found in almost all US states. But the Oregon case also had an E484K mutation that was first detected in South Africa’s COVID-19 variant in November.
Other cases of the British variant combined with this mutation have been found in Britain, France and Portugal, according to a database tracking the coronavirus variants. Only one other American case was recorded in the database.
Brian O’Roak, a geneticist at Oregon Health & Science University who led the work, told the New York Times that the case “had occurred spontaneously” and had not been transported elsewhere in the world, according to a report. genetic analysis.
O’Roak and his colleagues analyzed 13 test results from coronavirus samples collected by the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory, the Times reported. Ten of the samples were variant B.1.1.7. One of these 10 had the E484K mutation.
The Oregon Health Authority said it was “too early to speculate” on how the spread of COVID-19 variants is affecting the effectiveness of vaccines currently approved in the United States by Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer.
“Current vaccines are still likely to protect against serious infections leading to hospitalizations and death,” the agency said in a statement on Saturday.
Researchers have found that disease-fighting human antibodies are less effective against COVID-19 viruses with the E484K mutation, according to a paper that has not yet been peer reviewed. A February research report also found that the Pfizer vaccine may be less effective against the South African variant, which includes the E484K mutation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to step up surveillance and laboratory sequencing of COVID-19 strains in the United States to get a clearer picture of their characteristics.
Brazil’s first COVID-19 variant case in Oregon was also identified in Douglas County on Tuesday.
The Brazilian variant, known as the P.1 variant, also has the E484K mutation that scientists have found worrying. The Oregonian who contracted the Brazilian variant had a known travel history before testing positive, the state health authority said.
– Jaimie Ding
[email protected]; 503-221-4395; @j_dingdingding
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