New variant25 Nov 2021 13:51
A new variant of COVID-19 identified in Botswana with dozens of mutations is being watched closely, amid fears it could be resistant to the effect of currently-used vaccines.
The B.1.1.529 variant has more mutations affecting the spike protein targeted by vaccines than any other strain identified to date, although it’s not yet clear if it is more or less transmissible.
There have only been a few confirmed cases so far, including three in Botswana, six in South Africa where surveillance is more robust, and one in Hong Kong in an individual who travelled from South Africa before being tested.
The mutations in the spike protein has been described as “really awful” by Tom Pea****, a virologist at Imperial College’s department of infectious disease, in a tweet.