The delta variant is ravaging this Missouri city. Many residents are still wary of vaccines.

[littlemissmartypants]

4. There's already an Epsilon variant.

Mutations Help This Coronavirus Variant Evade COVID-19 Vaccines: Study
COVID-19 Study: The finding, published in the journal Science on July 1, shows that the Epsilon variant "relies on an indirect and unusual neutralisation-escape strategy."

Washington: Three mutations in the spike protein of Epsilon variant of SARS-CoV-2 help the virus to evade the protection offered by current vaccines or past COVID-19 infection, according to a study.

The mutations also provide the variant of concern named CAL.20C a means to totally evade specific monoclonal or lab-made antibodies used in clinics, and reduce the effectiveness of antibodies from the plasma of vaccinated people, the researchers said.

The team, led by researchers at the University of Washington in the US, visualised the variant''s infection machinery to see what is different from the original configuration of the coronavirus, and what the implications of these changes are.

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https://www.ndtv.com/science/mutations-help-epsilon-coronavirus-variant-evade-vaccine-immunity-study-2481110