- The researchers tested the candidate for the Moderna vaccine against the UK mutation (B.1.1.7) and found that neutralizing antibodies still work against the new strain.
- The tests also involved testing neutralizing antibodies in people with acute COVID-19 infections and COVID-19 survivors.
- The researchers found that infected people contained antibodies that could neutralize the mutation in the UK, which should reduce the risk of reinfection.
COVID-19 vaccination campaigns began less than two months ago and more than 134 million doses have already been administered, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker. This is more doses than the confirmed number of COVID-19 infections worldwide so far, but it is not enough to change the course of the pandemic. The world is far from achieving immunity to the herd, which could end the pandemic, with the same tracker estimating that it would take about 6.6 years to vaccinate 75% of the world’s population at the current rate of nearly 4.75 million doses per year. day. However, this is a deeply deficient estimate, as it does not take into account future ramps in production and additional vaccines that will be authorized in the coming months and years.
That being said, there is a new problem that worries researchers: mutations. At least one of the recently discovered mutants in coronavirus could reduce the effectiveness of current vaccine candidates, and this could lead to further delays in achieving herd immunity. But vaccines still work against known mutations, including the UK-dominated British variant making its way to the US and other regions. The good news is that new research indicates that the Moderna vaccine is effective against the UK strain and a mutation seen in various variants.
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Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, the University of Texas Medical Branch and the COVID-19 Neutralization Study Group tested the virus variant vaccine in the UK, publishing their results online in a study that was not equal -reviewed (via Medical news).
The team analyzed three categories of neutralizing antibodies to measure the effectiveness of Moderna against the virus B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 strain B.1.1.7 is a collection of genetic modifications, not just a single mutation. Some of them occurred at the level of the spike protein, which explains why scientists are re-evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines. The researchers took plasma from 20 patients with acute infections, 20 patients who recovered from COVID-19 and 14 healthy people who were vaccinated. All of these blood samples contained different levels of neutralizing antibodies that should bind to the spike protein of the new coronavirus.
The 20 people with an acute infection developed COVID-19 symptoms between 8 and 24 days before sampling. Recovered patients had COVID-19 between 30 and 90 days before the test. The immunized patients received both Moderna photos, which were administered a distance of 28 days, and serum samples were collected 14 days after the second jab.
The scientists tested all of this evidence against several strains of coronavirus, including an early version of the Washington-obtained virus (WA1), an isolated D614G variant in Georgia in March 2020 (EHC-083E), and a B.1.1.7 variant. from California. . Finally, the researchers also tested evidence against a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 virus that contains a point mutation in the peak protein at position 501 (N501Y).
The authors found that all types of neutralizing antibodies, whether developed in response to direct infection or after vaccination, worked just as well. The team did not notice any reduction in neutralizing antibody levels against any of the variants, an indication that Moderna is working. These results show that neutralizing antibody titers after natural infection or vaccination are effective against the UK variant (B.1.1.7) and viral strains containing point mutations at positions 501 and 614 of the spike protein, the team said.
These findings indicate that the vaccine may protect against severe COVID-19 and death after infection with B.1.1.7 and other strains containing mutation 501. The South African mutation also exhibits N501Y change. Another study also showed that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, an mRNA drug, such as Moderna’s candidate, works against B.1.1.7 and N501Y mutations.
It is also important to note that people who survived a new coronavirus infection at some point before the UK mutation was discovered should be protected against the UK strain.
However, the mutation in South Africa also contains multiple genetic modifications. The new study did not test the Moderna vaccine against the complete B.1.351 strain in South Africa. Existing experiments have shown that COVID-19 survivors could be reinfected with B.1.351. South African authorities have stopped launching the Oxford vaccine in the region, following disappointing results from recent tests. Separately, Moderna announced a few days ago that it is working on a booster vaccine for its vaccine, which could help be effective against newer mutations, including the South African mutation.
In a similar note, researchers in the UK found that B.1.1.7 strains develop a more resistant mutation to vaccines, which has also been observed in South African and Brazilian strains. The new study did not test Moderna against these new variants B.1.1.7.
The full study is available at this link.
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Chris Smith began writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it, he was sharing his views on technical stuff with readers around the world. Whenever he doesn’t write about gadgets, he can’t stay away from them, even though he tries desperately. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.