A new coronavirus variant found in Bristol, and present in South Gloucestershire, may be able to infect people who have already had Covid-19 or who have been vaccinated but the jabs will still protect against severe disease, experts have said. The Bristol variant contains the E484K mutation, a genetic change also found in the South African and Brazilian variants. Laboratory studies have shown that viruses with this mutation are able to escape human defences, making them more efficient at evading natural and vaccine-triggered immunity. As of Thursday, Public Health England (PHE) said it had identified 22 cases of the Bristol variant.
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Everything we know about Liverpool covid mutation and what could happen next
Key questions answered on mutation cluster found in the city and what could be done to tackle it
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When Health Secretary Matt Hancock talked about a Covid-19 mutation of concern found in Liverpool yesterday it took some by surprise.
This understandably led to a slew of headlines and anxious questions about whether this was a new mutation making its way around the city.
But the confirmation of the mutation was not exactly new. The ECHO first reported on the mutation detected in Liverpool t hat the Health Secretary was referring to on January 20.
A “mutation of concern” has been detected in the UK variant of coronavirus, which scientists have described as “a worrying development”.
This mutation, known as E484K, is already present in both South African and Brazilian coronavirus variants and experts believe it could have an impact on the effectiveness of some Covid-19 vaccines.
Laboratory studies have shown that antibodies – which are produced by the body to counteract infection – are less able to bind to a part of the virus known as the spike protein, in order to stop it from unlocking human cells to gain entry.
It was previously thought this mutation was not present in the UK variant, also known as B.1.1.7.