Making Sense of Coronavirus Mutations

As SARS-CoV-2 spreads around the world, one gene mutation may help the virus penetrate cells.

Virologist David Montefiori, who spent years studying HIV mutations, leads a team scouring thousands of COVID-19 genetic sequences to identify significant mutations. One standout was D614G, a strain of the virus containing a genetic mutation that helps SARS-CoV-2 invade cells. The team published a report in April 2020 warning that “D614G is increasing in frequency at an alarming rate.” This mutated COVID lineage, established in Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia, was said to be a more contagious form of the disease than the original Wuhan, China strain. A second version of the paper eliminated the word “alarming,” but scientists remain intrigued.

Some experiments found that D614G infects cells more efficiently. Others suggest that the variant may allow vaccines and antibody therapies to work better. Many believe the increase in mutation presence is entirely due to natural selection, and may not result in increased transmission. None of the studies so far proves that D614G is a key to controlling the pandemic, or that it means anything at ...