SARS-CoV-2 has developed worrying new mutation in UK

By Angela Betsaida B. Laguipo, BSNFeb 4 2021

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is far from over as it continues to wreak havoc across the globe. To date, more than 104 million people have been infected since the pandemic began in December 2019.

Over the past few months, surging cases have been reported due to new fast-spreading variants. Now, Public Health England (PHE) investigates cases of COVID-19 with worrying new genetic changes. The E484K mutation, which could allow SARS-CoV-2 escape antibody protection, was seen in a small group of cases in some regions of the country.

Investigation of novel SARS-CoV-2 variant Variant of Concern 202012/01 Technical briefing 5. Image Credit: NIAID

The E484K mutation

The new mutation is worrying since it could impact vaccine efficacy. The E484K mutation, which occurs on the virus's spike protein, is the same change reported in the variants found in South Africa and Brazil.

The mutation has been seen in the coronavirus variant B.1.351, which was first identified in South Africa in October 2020. Previous reports showed that COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy have been less effective against the South African strain.

For instance, a new study showed that the E484K mutation might require more antibodies to prevent the lab-grown virus from infecting cells. Further, a vaccine candidate, Novavax, announced that the vaccine was 89 percent effective in its Phase 3 human trial in the U.K. However, it only appeared 60 percent effective in a Phase 2b trial in South Africa.

In Johnson & Johnson's Phase 3 trial, the effectiveness of the vaccine varied by country. The United States has an efficacy level of 72 percent, compared with 57 percent in South Africa. In both trials, about 90 to 95 percent of South African cases were tied to the B.1.351 variant, which contains the E484K mutation.

Now, the E484K mutation has been detected in B.1.1.7 VOC 202012/01, the fast-spreading variant of SARS-CoV-2 that caused skyrocketing cases across the globe.

Also known as the U.K. "Kent" variant with the E484K mutation, it has been observed in 11 out of 214,159 samples tested by scientists working with PHE. The cases were predominantly from the South West of England. Scientists fear that the variant may have already spread and there may be more cases that have not yet been found.

It also appears that some of the samples acquired the mutation independently, instead of spreading from a single case. Preliminary information suggests more than one acquisition event, hinting that the new mutation may have already spread in the country.

Scientists worry that the new mutation could impact the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, which have been rolled out in many countries.

What can be done?

The health sector in the U.K. works to increase testing of suspected cases to determine the extent of the virus spread. This way, positive cases can be isolated immediately to prevent the virus from spreading.

Health experts believe that aggressive testing, compliance with infection control measures, and the rapid roll-out of vaccines are crucial to containing the virus's spread. At the same time, these can combat the spread of novel variants.

The E484K mutation may increase the virus's ability to escape neutralization by antibodies. This means that current vaccines may not work as well, affecting the efficacy rates of these vaccines. Further studies are needed to determine how these mutations occur and if they would impact the vaccines being administered.