The Botswana variant has around 50 mutations and more than 30 of them are on the spike protein. The current crop of vaccines trigger the body to recognise the version of the spike protein from older versions of the virus. But the mutations may make the spike protein look so different that the body's immune system struggles to recognise it and fight it off. And three of the spike mutations (H665Y, N679K, P681H) help it enter the body's cells more easily. Meanwhile, it is missing a membrane protein (NSP6) which was seen in earlier iterations of the virus, which experts think could make it more infectious. And it has two mutations (R203K and G204R) that have been present in all variants of concern so far and have been linked with infectiousness
* British scientists warn new variant has twice as many mutations as Delta
* Experts think it will slash protection from Covid vaccines by 40 per cent
* Health Secretary Sajid Javid last night announced travel from six countries
The Botswana Covid variant, described by experts as the worst strain ever, has all the worrying mutations from previous versions of the virus, plus many more that could make it the most infectious and vaccine-resistant one so far.
The super strain has acquired the mutations of Delta, which made that variant so transmissible that it became world-dominant in months.
And the new variant also includes the vaccine-resistant alterations seen on Beta — another strain of concern that emerged in South Africa and was thought to be best at escaping the immune system until now.
WNU Editor: In a nutshell. This variant is dangerous because it has evolved to have all of the worst mutations of Alpha, Beta and Delta combined plus new ones that could make it the most infectious and jab-resistant variant ever.
So when will we know if this is a threat that we should be concerned about?
The people that I trust who are experts in this type of analysis are telling me that we will all know within a week or two.
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