Worrying' New Mutation Detected in U.K. COVID-19 Variant

Researchers report a "worrying" new mutation in the highly contagious COVID-19 variant that first emerged in Britain, according to the New York Post . Almost a dozen cases have been identified that include a mutation called E484K, which has previously been detected in the South Africa and Brazil variants. "The mutation of most concern . . . has also occurred spontaneously in the new Kent strain in parts of the country too," said U.K. outbreak medicine expert Calum Semple. E484K shifts the shape of the virus' spike protein, and experts fear that the mutation has allowed the South Africa and Brazil strains to bypass the natural antibodies of those who have already recovered from infection in the first wave. This also implies that the mutation indicates the strain is more resistant to antibody drugs or plasma from coronavirus survivors. University of Leicester virologist Julian Tang urged people to obey U.K. lockdown protocols to prevent the virus from continuing to mutate and spread, "otherwise not only can the virus continue to spread, it can also evolve."