Mink-related Sars-CoV-2 mutations in humans have been now reported in seven countries. The mutations are identified as Covid-19 mink variants as they have repeatedly been found in mink and now in humans as well.
The Statens Serum Institut (SSI) showed that a mink variant called C5 was harder for antibodies to neutralise and posed a potential threat to vaccine efficacy. Denmark, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands, Russia and the US have all reported cases of mink-related mutations.
Until now there is no widespread reports of mink variants in humans outside Denmark. “We knew there were these mink variants in seven countries, but we only had about 20 genomes of each, which is very few. Then last week the Danes uploaded 6,000 genome sequences and with those we were able to identify 300 or more of the mink variant Y453F in viruses having infected humans in Denmark,” said University College London Genetics Institute director Francois Balloux.
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