Vaccine ‘protects against mutation in two variants’

NEW research published on Friday suggests the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech appears to protect against a mutation in two coronavirus variants that are causing spread across the UK.

The pharmaceutical giant and researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch carried out lab tests on the strains, one of which was found in the UK while the other originated in South Africa. Both variants contain mutations including N501Y, an alteration in the spike protein of the virus, which is a target for vaccines. In the new study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, people given the Pfzier jab had neutralising levels of antibodies which appeared to work against N501Y in the new strains.

However, one of the mutations in the South Africa variant, named E484K, has not yet been studied and is still causing concern for experts. While scientists at the top of Government increasingly believe the UK variant can be tacked with existing vaccines, there is concern that the South African variant has the potential to make them less effective, though studies are ongoing. In future years, it is thought that Covid-19 vaccines will need to be tweaked annually much in the same way the winter flu jab is.