Pfizer does work on SA and Brazil strains

PFIZER’S vaccine protects against the South African and Brazilian variants of coronavirus, promising studies suggest.

The findings raise hopes that the UK can safely end lockdown Boris Johnson’s roadmap being knocked off course.

The jab was 100 per cent effective at preventing infection in South Africa, where 800 people were involved in a trial, inducing ‘a robust neutralising antibody response’.

Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Birmingham say the jab will likely defend against the P1 Brazilian variant.

They found 98 per cent of people over 80 had a strong antibody immune response after receiving two doses.

Blood samples from all 100 participants strongly neutralised the original virus in lab tests. The effect was reduced 14fold against the variant but experts say the immune response was so high it is still likely to protect against it.

Professor Paul Moss, of Birmingham University and leader of the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, said: ‘We’ve certainly seen in this paper that the antibody levels are so good, really after the first two weeks, that we are pretty confident that this should be very helpful against the Brazilian variant.

‘I think we can be confident about gaining control of variants with the current plans, and also leaving lockdown.’

The study was published online ahead of its expected publication in The Lancet and has not yet been peer reviewed.