A mutation of the British corona variant, itself a mutation of the virus, has been found in the United Kingdom. Report that British media. The mutation has been found in 11 positive corona tests so far and appears to be capable of bypassing the immune system.
The mutation is called E484K and has properties that can also be found in the more contagious South African variant. What the mutation does is change the shape of the protein, which allows the virus to infect cells in the human body. In addition, the mutation ensures that antibodies in the body are less able to recognize the virus.
Scientists are not yet sure how the new mutation came about. It is conceivable that it may have been an amalgamation of the South African variant with the British one, in a person who was already infected with one of the two. It could also have been simply a coincidence.
That the virus is mutating is not in itself a shocking discovery. The virus that gave Europe the first corona wave was already a mutation of the virus that originated in Wuhan. The virus that dominated the second wave in Europe was yet another mutation, probably spread by holidaymakers from Spain. What makes the new mutations – the British, Brazilian, South African and possibly also E484K – extra dangerous is that the mutation gives the virus particle a kind of ‘superpower’. Namely that it can withstand the antibodies and can therefore multiply itself and be further spread again.
What the E484K protein mutation so far shows in the South African variant is that the Covid vaccines that are being administered now work less well with the new versions of the virus. There is still no reason to think that the vaccines will no longer protect against serious illness caused by infection, but scientists are very concerned that vaccinated people will continue to spread the new mutations.
–
–
