Coronavirus mutations identified in mink farms could hamper the effectiveness of vaccines currently under development, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has warned.
Although there is "high uncertainty" as to the nature of such mutations, identified following outbreaks on mink farms in Denmark, the ECDC said that if the mutated virus spread widely in the human population it could compromise vaccine effectiveness.
If the virus established itself in mink populations it could also give rise to "problematic virus variants in the future". In a statement, the EU's disease control agency said Covid-19 can spread from humans to minks and vice versa.