Virus variant’s silver lining

Local scientists have discovered those who have been infected by the new South African Covid-19 variant in the second wave are now immune to other variants of the virus.

The 501Y.V2 variant was able to neutralise itself from other variants, including the variant which circulated in the first wave.

This positive development was announced by scientists at a briefing hosted by Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.

Director of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (Krisp) Professor Tulio de Oliveira said their research into the 501Y.V2 variant found it had good neutralising activity against itself and other variants.

“What it means is people who have been infected with 501Y.V2 will be immune to other variants and lineages” he said.

Better news is that the groundbreaking findings could lead to the use of the new strain to develop vaccines with a good immune response, chair of the Ministerial Advisory Council Professor Salim Abdool Karim said.

“If a vaccine is built on this new variant strain capability, epitopes, we can expect there is a good chance the vaccine will illicit good immune responses that will protect people from getting 501Y.V2 and various other variants. This finding is basically telling us we have a good prospect of success if we make a new vaccine based on it.”

Immunity due to the new variant did not mean those protected should avoid the vaccine, De Oliveira said.

“In no way are we saying people should not be vaccinated, but everyone should increase vaccination to avoid another wave.”