According to a study, the BioNTech vaccine is also said to protect against the coronavirus mutation that is rampant in the UK. It is considered particularly contagious. The vaccine is also effective against 15 other variants, explain researchers.
According to a new study, the corona vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer also protects against a mutation of the virus that has emerged in the UK and South Africa. This comes from a laboratory study conducted by researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas.
The variants of the virus, first discovered in Great Britain and South Africa, are characterized by a mutation that did not block the vaccine in the study. The study has been published on the Internet for researchers and has not yet been reviewed by experts.
Blood samples from 20 people
The mutation called N501Y is a slight change in one part of the spike protein on the surface of the virus. This change is considered to be the reason that the two variants can spread so quickly. Most of the vaccines that are rolled out around the world teach the vaccinated person’s body to recognize and fight the spike protein.
The researchers took blood samples from 20 people who had been vaccinated with the vaccine. Their antibodies successfully fended off the virus in Petri dishes. “It was a very comforting discovery that at least this mutation, which was one of the things people worry about most, doesn’t seem to be a problem for the vaccine,” said Philip Dormitzer of Pfizer.
Vaccine can be customized
The variant of the virus, first discovered in South Africa, has an additional mutation called E484K. The study found that the vaccine appeared to be effective against 15 other possible mutations, but E484K was not among those examined.
If the virus mutates so strongly at some point that the vaccine has to be adapted, that will not be difficult with the vaccine and similar agents co-developed by Pfizer, said Dormitzer. The vaccine contains a piece of the virus’ genetic code that can be easily switched.
Cases in Germany too
The British variant of the virus is up to 70 percent more contagious than the original Covid-19 pathogen. It has spread rapidly in the greater London area and the government has imposed a lockdown due to the many new infections. The South African variant is particularly contagious, according to the Africa CDC pan-African health center.
There are also cases of the new Corona variant in Germany. The Ministry of Health in Saxony announced on Thursday that the mutation had occurred in a person from Dresden who had returned from the UK. For the first time, the variant from England was detected in Germany on Christmas Eve. A woman in Baden-Württemberg who had come from Great Britain was affected.
The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach was concerned about the mutation. If it spreads in this country too, the Germans would have to be prepared for even more restrictions, he told the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”.
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