Experts: Variants spark need to crush virus quickly
A COVID-19 mutation that likely confers partial resistance to the antibodies produced by vaccines is now in the U.S., spurring scientists to probe new ways to battle a disease that’s constantly changing and could remain active for years.
The South African variant has already spread quickly across the African continent and has been seen in at least 24 countries outside of Africa. It was reported in South Carolina on Jan. 28 and in Maryland two days later. If that looks like just a beachhead, note that a U.K. mutation first seen in Colorado on Dec. 29 has been detected in 29 U.S. states in less than a month. Both variants are considered more contagious than the original strain.
Late-stage trials released last week on vaccines developed by Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc. showed their shots to be generally potent against early forms of COVID-19. But results from studies done in South Africa told a less impressive tale. The J&J shot was found to be 72% effective in the U.S., but that fell to 57% in South Africa. Novavax’s shot, 89% effective in the U.K., was only 49% effective in South Africa.
The results are “sobering,” said Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego. “We see an unequivocal drop-off in efficacy.”
That means that vaccinemakers must now divert attention to work on either booster shots or a new, adjusted vaccine that can work better against the South African mutation, known scientifically as B.1.351 — even as the world is still trying to ramp up injections of the first shots put into use, he said.
Before the J&J and Novavax results were made public, lab tests looking at the number of antibodies induced by vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna already in use suggest that while they may be less potent against the South African variant, they still had enough punch to hold it off.
But what that meant in terms of illness in the real world was unclear. The latest outcomes offer a more precise indication, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious-disease expert, on a conference call on Friday. “It’s really a wake-up call for us to be nimble and to be able to adjust, as this virus will continue for certain to evolve and to mutate,” he said.
In statements at the New York Press Club on Friday, Dr. Fauci said it was “concerning that you need to stay ahead of these mutants and essentially crush this outbreak so there’s no more replication. And when there’s no more replication, you’re not going to have any mutations.”