Two new COVID-19 variants, one of which has been classified as a "concern", have been identified in England with some similarities to the South African and Brazilian variants, a government advisory scientific committee said on Tuesday. One of the new variants, first identified in Bristol and known as "B.1.1.7 with additional E484K mutation", has been designated a "Variant of Concern", by the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group. The other, first identified in Liverpool and dubbed A.23.1, has been designated as a "Variant under Investigation" by the group. Both new variants have the E484K mutation, which occurs on the spike protein of the virus, and is the same change as has been seen in the South African and Brazilian variants that have caused international concern. The E484K mutation has also been identified in laboratory experiments as central to the the South Africa variant's ability to escape monoclonal antibody therapies as well as antibodies in vaccinated- and recovered-patient serum. Public Health England has now identified 76 cases of the new variants, and is confident that vaccines will work against them. —Reuters Staff Source
