New variant COVID findings fuel more worries about vaccine resistance

Scientists in the United Kingdom  reported that a small number of B117 variants have developed the E484K mutation thought to help SARS-CoV-2 partly evade immunity, and another UK group said their lab experiments suggest the mutation added to B117 may dampen the impact of vaccination after one dose. In its weekly update on pandemic activity, the World Health Organization (WHO) saidthat the three variants of concern have been reported in more countries, with 80 now reporting the B117 variant. B117 variant and vaccine protection The findings on the E484K mutation in B117 come from a Public Health England update on the variant. Overall, the standard variant continues to dominate in all of the country’s regions, with attack rates that are 25% to 40% higher than the original coronavirus. It added that the latest sequencing data as of Jan 26 revealed the E484K mutation in 11 of the B117 sequences and that initial analysis suggests...