On April 30, 2020 a pre-print paper by Korber et al, (now peer reviewed) had identified 14 mutations in the Spike (S) protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. [1, 2]
This is highly consequential as the Spike protein “mediates infection of human cells and is the target of most vaccine strategies and antibody-based therapeutics.” Mutations in this region of the virus “may confer selective advantages in transmission or resistance to interventions”
It was noted that this mutation of “Spike D614G is of urgent concern” They first identified G614 mutation in Italy sample on February 20, 2020 where it “began spreading in Europe” and found “when introduced to new regions it rapidly becomes the dominant form” indicating highly transmissible.
Noteworthy also is they found “evidence of recombination between locally circulating strains” in the S943P mutation, meaning an infected person is infected with multiple virus strains, not just one, and the stains can re-combine their genetic material to form new “recombinant” virus strains.