An in-vehicle coronavirus testing facility in Pretoria, South Africa.
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg
A study by scientists in South Africa on the new variant of coronavirus that causes the recurrence of cases in the country raises concerns about the effectiveness of vaccines and a new class of therapies.
Half of the blood samples taken from a small group of people who recovered from Covid-19 do not have the antibodies needed to protect against the 501Y.V2 strain identified last month, according to the work of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases of South Africa. . In the other half, antibody levels were reduced and the risk of reinfection could not be determined, according to the institute.
New strains of the virus have also been identified in countries, including the United Kingdom and Brazil, which raises concerns that increasingly dangerous versions of the pathogen that have yet to appear may hinder the global development of vaccines.
The line recently identified in Brazil “also has changes in key positions” presented in this study to “affect neutralizing antibodies,” the scientists said. Our data suggest that this parent could also exhibit significant levels of neutralization resistance, which makes both lines of considerable concern for public health. ”
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The NICD findings could “foreshadow the reduced efficacy of current peak vaccines,” the scientists said. It also suggests treatment with plasma from donors who have had coronavirus may not be successful in those with this variant. The findings were not evaluated by colleagues and were based on samples from 44 donors.
These data underscore the need for increased, continuous surveillance and sequencing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, said the authors, including Penny Moore, a professor at NICD.
The strain that appeared in South Africa is about 50% more transmissible than previous versions, said Salim Abdool Karim, co-chair of the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee, in a presentation earlier this week. However, there is no evidence that he is more likely to cause hospitalization or death, he said.
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A separate study by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE showed that the Covid-19 vaccine will protect against the new variant of coronavirus that has appeared in the UK Scientists have previously said that many existing vaccines could be adapted to new strains if necessary.
– With the assistance of Naomi Kresge
(Small sample updates and that the study was not reviewed by colleagues in the fifth paragraph)