Evolution Of SARS-CoV-2 In The Presence Of Vaccines

ABSTRACT

The COVID pandemic has caused tremendous loss worldwide. Now vaccines are the primary weapon to combat the pandemic. Understanding how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID, may mutate in the presence of the vaccines is critical for designing drugs and vaccines for future variants of the virus. In this study, we investigated the numbers of mutations that SARS-CoV-2 accumulated on each protein over time. We found that different proteins of the virus accumulated different levels of mutations and their mutation rates changed over time following different patterns. We also presented evidence that the mutation of the Spike protein might have been suppressed by the vaccines. This is the first time that such a relation was reported based on real world data. Although the discovery was not meant to be conclusive, this study sheds light onto how the virus may response to the vaccines. If confirmed by further studies, the discovery will have significant impacts on many fields, including drug and vaccine designs. © 2022 IEEE.