An Australian medical virologist is downplaying warnings that a new SARS-CoV-2 mutation, already circulating in Australia, is rapidly spreading and might be more contagious than the original strain.

The mutation was identified by UK and US researchers led by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, who are tracking real-time mutations of the virus as an ‘early warning system’ for increasing transmissibility or severity of illness.

A warning about the potential immunological implications of one particular mutation was sent to researchers working on vaccines and other immunotherapies in mid-April, before a formal report was published on pre-print server bioRxiv.

The report covers data from Australia, where the mutation had been recorded through most of March and became the dominant strain, similar to a pattern in the US and Canada.