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My team at the Genomics UK consortium sequenced the new Sars-CoV-2 variant, but we’ll need more evidence to understand how it might change the pandemic
The story of the new variant shows how important genome sequencing is. Photograph: Thibault Savary/AFP via Getty Images
The story of the new variant shows how important genome sequencing is. Photograph: Thibault Savary/AFP via Getty Images
Tue 22 Dec 2020 08.46 EST
Last modified on Wed 23 Dec 2020 03.40 EST
It was always predictable that the genome of Sars-CoV-2 would mutate. After all, that’s what viruses and other micro-organisms do. The Sars-CoV-2 genome accumulates around one or two mutations every month as it circulates. In fact, its rate of change is much lower than those of other viruses that we know about. For example, seasonal influenza mutates at such a rate that a new vaccine has to be introduced each year.
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New Covid variant raises concern, but unlikely to impact vaccine development
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A number of European countries have banned flights from the UK as the British government warned that the potent new strain of the virus was out of control and imposed a stringent new stay-at-home lockdown from Sunday.
Health Ministry meeting today after spread of mutant coronavirus strain in UK
MUMBAI: A new variant of SARS-Cov2 virus found in the United Kingdom, which seems to be 70% quicker in spreading, has raised concerns in the scientific community about its likely impact on the efforts to bring the pandemic under control and whether vaccines will work against this variant.