"It appears it’s not going to be a matter of getting one vaccination and you’re all set," Prof Krause, of the University of Otago biochemistry department, said. The annual flu shot was also typically directed at "three to four influenza strains," he said. Japanese media reported about 70% of Covid patients at one Tokyo hospital were recently found to have the E484K mutation, nicknamed "Eek" by some scientists. Dr Geoghegan said the E484K mutation was an "escape mutation" that sometimes helped the virus slip past the body’s immune senses. About 70% of coronavirus patients tested at a Tokyo hospital last month carried the E484K mutation, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 06, 2021 21:22 UTC