epidemiological data that showed the virus rapidly spreading throughout the nation. And it led to international travel bans and stronger lockdown measures in the U.K.
Since its discovery, the UK variant has also been detected in the US, Canada, Denmark, France, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Nigeria, Ghana, Jordan, Australia and Singapore.
A total of 17 mutations were identified in this variant, with the N501Y mutation (also present in the Brazil variant, above) being the most significant. This mutation allows the virus to form tighter bonds with human cells allowing the virus to enter cells more easily.
As more people became infected with this new variant across the southeast of England, it quickly became the dominant version of the virus.
The good news is that the immune response triggered by the vaccines does appear to be effective against this variant. A study by Pfizer demonstrated good immune responses in people who had been given the Pfizer vaccine and then exposed to the N501Y mutation. It is still researching the precise level of protection it provides against this mutation, however. A study by Oxford University showed the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be at least 75 percent effective against this variant.
South Africa variant
The South Africa variant is more concerning to scientists. It not only has the N501Y mutation (the same one as is in the UK and Brazil variants, above) which makes it more likely to bind to human cells and hence more infectious, it also contains the E484K mutation (as found in the Brazil variant) which means it may be able to evade some of the antibody response triggered by the vaccines or a previous infection.
The vaccines have been found to be less effective against this variant, but can be adjusted to tackle it if needed. As well as in South Africa, this variant has been identified in a number of countries across the world including Austria, Belgium, Kenya, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.
As time goes by, we are likely to see more variants appear. Because of this, it is widely believed that, in the longer term, we will require annual booster shots that are designed to trigger an immune response to the most common circulating variants in that particular area, much like the annual flu vaccine which is adjusted to the variants that are predicted to cause flu epidemics each year.
As we talk about new variants emerging, scientists in the UK have identified yet another new variant with potentially worrying mutations. Thought to have originated in Nigeria, the B1525 variant has now been found in Denmark, Australia and the US. This variant also possesses the E484K mutation which may mean it can elude our immune response. Scientists are studying this new variant urgently to see what the likelihood is of it spreading and becoming a dominant strain.