New strain of novel coronavirus can make it more vulnerable to vaccine: Study

A recent study, published in the journal Science, shows that a common mutation in the SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19, may also make it more susceptible to a vaccine.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US cited that the new strain of coronavirus, called D614G that emerged in Europe has become the most common in the world.

The study says that D614G replicates faster and is more spreadable than the novel coronavirus.

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While the strain transfers faster, in animal studies it was not associated with more severe disease, and the strain is slightly more sensitive to neutralisation by antibody drugs, the researchers said.

With one flap open, it’s easier for antibodies — like the ones in the vaccines currently being tested — to infiltrate and disable the virus, they said.

Meanwhile, the University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers performed replication and airborne transmission studies with both the original virus and the mutated version.

They found that the mutated virus not only replicates about 10 times faster — it’s also much more infectious.