- The researchers tested the UK vaccine against the UK mutation (B.1.1.7) and found that neutralizing antibodies still work against the new strain.
- The tests also consisted of testing neutralizing antibodies from people with acute COVID-19 infections and COVID-19 survivors.
- The researchers found that infected people contained antibodies capable of neutralizing the UK mutation, which should reduce the risk of reinfection.
Vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 began less than two months ago and more than 134 million doses have already been administered. From Bloomberg vaccine tracker. That is, more doses than the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections worldwide, but not enough to alter the course of the pandemic. The world is far from achieving herd immunity, which could end the pandemic, and the same tracker estimates it would take about 6.6 years to vaccinate 75% of the world’s population at the current rate of about 4 , 75 million doses per day. This is a deeply flawed estimate, however, as it does not take into account the upcoming production ramps and additional vaccines that will be authorized in the coming months and years.
That said, there is a new problem that worries researchers: mutations. At least one of the recently discovered coronavirus mutants could reduce the effectiveness of current vaccine candidates, and this could lead to additional delays in reaching herd immunity. But vaccines still work against some known mutations, including the UK variant that is dominant in Britain and is making its way through the United States and other regions. The good news is that new research indicates that the Modern vaccine is effective against the UK strain and a mutation observed in different variants.
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Researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, the medical branch of the University of Texas and the neutralization study group COVID-19 tested the vaccine against the British variant of the virus, publishing their results online in a study that has not been the same – revised (via Medical news).
The team examined three categories of neutralizing antibodies to measure the effectiveness of the drug Modern against the virus B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 strain B.1.1.7 is a collection of genetic changes, not just a single mutation. Some of them were produced at the peak protein level, which explains why scientists are re-testing the effectiveness of their vaccines. The researchers took plasma from 20 patients with acute infections, 20 patients who recovered from COVID-19, and 14 healthy individuals who were vaccinated. All of these blood samples contained different levels of neutralizing antibodies that should bind to the new coronavirus ear protein.
The 20 people with an acute infection developed symptoms of COVID-19 between 8 and 24 days prior to sample collection. Recovered patients had COVID-19 between 30 and 90 days prior to the trial. Immunized patients received both Moderna prey, which is separated at 28 days, and serum samples were collected 14 days after the second stroke.
Scientists tested all of these samples against several coronavirus strains, including an early version of the virus obtained in Washington (WA1), an isolated D614G variant in Georgia in March 2020 (EHC-083E), and a B.1.1.7 variant of California. . Finally, the researchers also tested the samples against a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 virus that contained a point mutation in the ear protein at position 501 (N501Y).
The authors found that all types of neutralizing antibodies, whether developed in response to a direct infection or after vaccination, worked equally well. The team did not observe any reduction in neutralizing antibody levels against any of the variants, an indication that the Modern drug works. “These results show that neutralizing antibody titers after a natural infection or vaccination are effective against the British variant (B.1.1.7) and viral strains containing single-point mutations at positions 501 and 614 of the ear protein, ”the team said.
These results indicate that the vaccine may protect against severe COVID-19 and death after infection with B.1.1.7 and other strains containing mutation 501. The South African mutation also exhibits the N501Y change. A different study also showed that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, a drug for mRNA, like the Moderna candidate, works against B.1.1.7 and N501Y mutations.
It is also important to implicate that people who survived a new coronavirus infection at some point before discovering the UK mutation should protect themselves against the UK strain.
However, the South African mutation also contains multiple genetic changes. The new study did not test South Africa’s complete B.1.351 strain vaccine. Existing experiments showed that COVID-19 survivors could be reinfected with B.1.351. South African authorities have halted the deployment of Oxford vaccines in the region, following disappointing results in recent tests. Separately, Moderna announced a few days ago that it was working on a booster shot for its vaccine that could help with effectiveness against more recent mutations, including the South African mutation.
In a related note, researchers in the UK found that B.1.1.7 strains developed a more vaccine-resistant mutation, which has also been seen in South African and Brazilian strains. The new study did not test the drug Modern against these more recent variations of B.1.1.7.
The full study is available at this link.
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Chris Smith began writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it, he was sharing his views on technology issues with readers around the world. Whenever he doesn’t write about gadgets, he can’t get away from them, even though he tries desperately. But this is not necessarily a bad thing.