If there is one coronavirus mutation that keeps scientists awake at night, it is E484K. The mutation was found in both the South African variant (B1351) and the Brazilian variant (P1), but not in the United Kingdom variant (B117). This so-called “escape mutation” raised fears that the approved Covid vaccines may not be as effective against these variants. The E484K mutation has now been found in the UK variant as well – albeit in just 11 cases.
The coronavirus mutates slowly, accumulating around two single-letter mutations per month in its genome. This rate of change is about half that of flu viruses. Early in the pandemic, few scientists were worried that the coronavirus would mutate into something more dangerous. But in November 2020, that swiftly changed when the first “variant of concern” was discovered. The newly discovered variant B117 was associated with the huge spike in cases in south-east England and London.
Receptor-binding domain
While all mutations…