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* British variant mutation is a worry - UK genetic chief
* Some mutations may undermine vaccines - genetic chief
* Vaccines so far effective, drug companies say
* UK variant will sweep the world - UK genetic chief
* Says: We'll be doing this a decade from now
(Recasts headline and lead, adds Johnson)
By Guy Faulconbridge
LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The coronavirus variant first
found in the British region of Kent is a concern because it is
mutating and so could undermine the protection given by vaccines
against developing COVID-19, the head of the UK's genetic
surveillance programme said.
She also said the British variant was dominant in the
country and was likely "to sweep the world, in all probability".
The coronavirus has killed 2.35 million people and turned
normal life upside down for billions, but a few new worrying
variants out of thousands have raised fears that vaccines will
need to be tweaked and people may require booster shots.
Sharon Peacock, director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK
consortium, said vaccines were so far effective against the
variants in the United Kingdom, but that mutations could
potentially undermine the shots.
"What's concerning about this is that the 1.1.7 variant that
we have had circulating for some weeks and months is beginning
to mutate again and get new mutations which could affect the way
that we handle the virus in terms of immunity and effectiveness
of vaccines," Peacock told the BBC.
"It's concerning that the 1.1.7, which is more
transmissible, which has swept the country, is now mutating to
have this new mutation that could threaten vaccination."
That new mutation, first identified in Bristol in southwest
England, has been designated a "Variant of Concern", by the New
and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group.
Britain's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, said
the Bristol variant had one of the same mutations as the South
African. "It is not surprising that it has happened and it will
happen elsewhere as well," he said on Wednesday.
"In getting that variant it does make it slightly more
likely to look different to the immune system so we need to
watch out for it, we need to measure it, we need to keep on top
of it and need to keep testing the vaccine effects in this
situation."
There are so far 21 cases of that variant which has E484K
mutation, which occurs on the spike protein of the virus, the
same change as has been seen in the South African and Brazilian
variants.
"One has to be a realist that this particular mutation has
arisen in our kind of communal garden lineage now, at least five
times - five separate times. And so this is going to keep
popping up," Peacock said.
British people should expect to receive repeated
vaccinations against COVID-19 in future to keep pace with
mutations of the virus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on
Wednesday.
There are three major known variants that are worrying
scientists: the South African variant, known by scientists as
20I/501Y.V2 or B.1.351; the British variant known as 20I/501Y.V1
or B.1.1.7; and the Brazilian variant known as P.1.
The British variant, which is more infectious but not
necessarily more deadly than others, was likely "to sweep the
world", Peacock said.
"Once we get on top of (the virus) or it mutates itself out
of being virulent - causing disease - then we can stop worrying
about it. But I think, looking in the future, we're going to be
doing this for years. We're still going to be doing this 10
years down the line, in my view."
The two COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and
AstraZeneca protect against the main British variant.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Kate Holton and
Nick Macfie)
