Another new variant in UK

SCIENTISTS have identified another new variant of coronavirus which has potentially concerning mutations.

Known as B.1.525, the variant contains a genetic change called E484K, also found in the Brazilian and South African variants.

Public Health England (PHE) said yesterday there is no evidence that the mutations in the new variant make the virus more transmissible or cause severe disease. It said B.1.525 has been classed as a variant under investigation (VUI) and, as of yesterday, 38 cases had been identified in the UK. The variant has also been seen in other countries, including Australia, Denmark, Nigeria, Canada and the United States.

Experts say the variant has alterations in its genetic material that make it similar to the Kent variant, which is the dominant virus in the UK.

Dr Simon Clarke, an associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said the presence of the E484K mutation was known to confer a degree of resistance to some vaccines. He said: “We don’t yet know how well this [new] variant will spread, but if it is successful it can be presumed that immunity from any vaccine or previous infection will be blunted.”