Three new mutated genome sequences of the Covid-19 virus have been discovered in South Korea, said the country's public health authorities.
According to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), these new sequences were detected from three Covid-19 imported cases — two from Pakistan and one from Uzbekistan, reported Yonhap News Agency.
KCDC chief Jeong Eun-kyeong said in a press briefing: "[The three cases] were self-isolated upon entering the country. There were no people who had contact with them in the country."
Multiple genome sequences of the virus
According to the KCDC, there were 78,810 viral genome sequences registered in the database from GISAID — an initiative that promotes the sharing of data from all influenza viruses and the coronavirus causing Covid-19.
The strains detected from the three imported cases were different from the 78,810 registered on the database.
The KCDC said that the genetic mutations detected were located on the "spike protein", which the virus uses to break into human cells.
According to a BBC report on July 19, there had only been one notable mutation to the coronavirus that might have actually altered its behaviour. The mutation, named D614G, was also situated within the protein making up the virus's "spike".
In lab tests, viruses with the D614G mutation were more transmissible than the original version of the virus from the early stages of the outbreak.
However, as most of the vaccines that are in development are based on a different region of the "spike", this mutation should not have an impact on their development.
As for the new mutations detected in South Korea, the KCDC chief said that more tests have to be done before we can say if these mutations actually affect the level of infectivity.
Top image from Getty.