PARIS, France (AFP) – The vaccine, made by Pfizer and BioNTech, appears to be keeping its effectiveness against coronavirus mutations in the worrying new variant that has recently emerged in Britain and South Africa, the companies said on Thursday.
Several new variants – each with a group of genetic mutations – have raised fears about an increase in contagion, as well as suggestions that the virus may begin to evade the immune response, whether due to a previous infection or a vaccine.
Pfizer / BioNTech, which had earlier said it was unlikely the strain originally found in Britain could escape vaccine protection, said on Thursday that early tests indicated their vaccination would be similarly protected against the variant. in South Africa.
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Pfizer / BioNTech’s vaccine is being used by Israel in its world-leading vaccination campaign.
In a statement, the two companies said that these preliminary findings “do not indicate the need for a new vaccine to address the emerging variants.”
They said they were “willing to respond” if it was shown that a new strain could evade the vaccine’s immunity, adding that they could provide updates to their womb if necessary.
A healthcare worker prepares a Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital in Ramat Gan, January 12, 2021. (Oded Balilty / AP)
The statement comes after the US biotechnology firm Moderna announced this week that laboratory studies indicate that the vaccine should be protected against the variants first found in the UK and South Africa.
The latest Pfizer / BioNTech research, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, was conducted by researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas.
The authors compared the antibodies of 20 people who received two doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine during clinical trials with laboratory-designed sets of mutations present in the variants that originated in Britain and South Africa.
‘Escape’ fears
The new variant – along with another linked to Brazil – has mutations in the vein protein of the virus, enabling the virus to attach to human cells and thus play a key role in causing infections.
In particular, one mutation – known as E484K and found in the strains of South Africa and Brazil, but not the one in Britain – has experts who are particularly concerned about the ‘escape’ of immunity.
The study found that the antibodies could neutralize the sets of mutations tested.
It noted that the effect was ‘slightly lower’ compared to three mutations in the variant found in South Africa, including E484K.
A worker disinfects the rails of an escalator in a Johannesburg shopping center on 8 December 2020. (AP Photo / Denis Farrell)
But the companies said it was unlikely to lead to a significant decline in vaccine efficacy.
They said they were trying to test against the full range of mutations in the peak protein of the variant that originated in South Africa.
A study published last week by researchers in South Africa, which has not yet been evaluated by a peer, tested the variant found there against blood plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients.
They found that it was resistant to neutralizing antibodies built up from previous infection, but said more research was needed on the effectiveness of other parts of the immune response.
Daily global deaths due to COVID-19 were above 18,000 for the first time on Wednesday, with vaccinations seen as the only real chance to return to some form of normality.
The German firm BioNTech has already said that the messenger RNA technology means that it can update the vaccine against new variants within a few weeks.
