LONDON (Reuters) – The British variant of the coronavirus has developed a new one, relating to the mutation in a small number of cases, which scientists say makes it similar to the South African and Brazilian variants and could reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.
The emergence of the mutation for the variant discovered for the first time in Britain highlights how difficult it will be to get out of the COVID-19 blockade even after vaccines are launched.
Public Health England said there were 11 reports of the UK variant that has the E484K mutation, mainly in southwest England.
The E484K mutation, which occurs in the virus’s spike protein, is the same change observed in the South African and Brazilian variants that caused international concern.
“PHE is monitoring the situation closely and all necessary public health interventions are being carried out, including improved contact tracking and control measures,” said a PHE spokesman.
Several laboratory studies have found that vaccines and antibody therapy are less effective against the South African variant.
In contrast, early evidence showed that the vaccines worked so well against the UK variant, which originally lacked the E484K mutation.
Health Minister Matt Hancock said it was too early to say the impact of variants on vaccines, but worrying mutations have been reported in Bristol and Liverpool.
“We must continue to act with caution, not just because of the new challenges posed by the new variants of the coronavirus,” he told lawmakers.
Calum Semple, who is part of a panel advising the British government, told BBC radio that the E484K was the “most worrying mutation” and had “spontaneously occurred” in the UK variant.
The name E484K, in general terms, is like the map coordinates. The number 484 is the exact location of the mutation, the letter E is the amino acid that it was originally and the letter K is the amino acid that it mutated to.
Concern about the South African variant, with its E484K mutation, has already led authorities in England to launch a door-to-door mass testing campaign in areas where cases of the variant have been found in people with no connection to South Africa, although Mandatory quarantine in hotels for arrivals from South Africa has not yet entered into force.
While the number of reported cases of the UK variant with the worrying mutation is small, the scientists said it demonstrated how the high prevalence of cases in Britain meant that it was not enough to simply avoid importing new variants.
“This report seems to suggest that, under conditions of very high levels of virus replication, even the most stringent of border controls, although they can slow the spread, will hardly prevent the appearance of new variants,” said Jonathan Stoye, virologist at The Francis Crick Institute.
Reporting by Estelle Shirbon and Alistair Smout; Additional reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Nick Macfie, Gareth Jones and Giles Elgood