The COVID-19 vaccine from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech appears to be effective against 16 different mutations in the coronavirus, according to a study that has not yet been peer-reviewed.
As Reuters reported, the study, conducted by researchers at Pfizer and the University of Texas medical branch, suggests that the vaccine will not need to be modified to work against a seemingly more contagious variant of the coronavirus that emerged in the UK.
The British variant, known as B117, was recently detected in the United States among people who had not traveled to the United Kingdom, indicating the spread of the community.
Viral mutations are a typical occurrence and there is no evidence to date that they have made COVID-19 more dangerous than it already is. And while vaccines can be modified to cope with new variations, there is still no sign that it is necessary.
“So now we’ve tested 16 different mutations, and none of them have really had any significant impact. That’s the good news,” Phil Dormitzer, a Pfizer scientist, said Thursday. “That doesn’t mean the 17th doesn’t.”
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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