Study: Delta sidesteps antibodies

People who have previously caught Covid-19 are now more likely to be reinfected thanks to the Delta variant, a study published in the journal Nature has found. Laboratory analysis revealed that the variant that originated in India is four times better able to overcome protective antibodies from a previous infection compared with the UK Alpha variant. The study also found that a single dose of either thePfiz er or Oxford A st raZe ne ca vaccines provided just 10 per cent protection against the Delta variant. However, administration of a second dose of either vaccine generated a neutralising response of 95 per cent, although the antibodies were found to be three-to-fivefold less potent against Delta than Alpha.