The mutation -- called E484K -- has been found in a variant of the coronavirus first spotted in South Africa two months ago.

Penny Moore, associate professor at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa, called the mutation "alarming."

"We fear this mutation might have an impact, and what we don't know is the extent of the impact," she said.

Sigal, Moore, and other scientists who are studying the E484K mutation still have to complete their work in the lab to see if the vaccine is less effective against this new variant.

Rather, they think there's a possibility the mutation -- on its own or in combination with other mutations -- could decrease the efficacy of the vaccine against the variant.

The teacher here is the vaccine, and the rascally student is the E484K mutation.

"Escape mutant" also found in variant in Brazil

E484K isn't only in the variant first found in South Africa -- it's recently been found in a variant in Brazil as well.

But even if E484K -- alone or in combination with other mutations in the variant -- ends up being a problem, the variant likely won't escape all the antibodies produced by vaccines, considering that the vaccines produce many antibodies.