Scientists have identified an “escape mutant” that could decrease the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines.
The mutation – called E484K – was found in a coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa two months ago. This variant has already spread to 12 other countries.
Penny Moore, an associate professor at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in South Africa, called the mutation “alarming.”
“We fear that this mutation could have an impact, and what we don’t know is the extent of the impact,” she said.
E484K is called an “escape mutant” because it has been shown to escape some of the antibodies produced by the vaccine.
“I’m concerned,” said Alex Sigal, a virologist at the Africa Health Research Institute.
Sigal, Moore and other scientists studying the E484K mutation have yet to complete their lab work to see if the vaccine is less effective against this new variant.
Based on what they have seen so far, they say they very much doubt that E484K renders coronavirus vaccines useless. Instead, they think there is a possibility that the mutation – alone or in combination with other mutations – will decrease the vaccine’s effectiveness against the variant.
They also fear that the E484K could be an indication that the new coronavirus is showing its ability to change before our eyes. If this mutation happens in a matter of months, other problematic mutations can occur.
“This virus may be taking its first steps on a very long road towards vaccine resistance,” said Andrew Ward, structural virologist at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California.
“It is the beginning of a long journey,” said Moore. “That’s what really shook me about it. It’s a worrying warning.”
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