Dr. Fawchi says new data show that Covid vaccines have less effect on some new strains of the disease.
White House Health Adviser Dr Anthony Fauci claims new data suggests that quid vaccines on the market may be less effective against new and more contagious strains of the coronavirus, so people need to be vaccinated faster.
New strains of the coronavirus have been spotted outside the United States, raising concerns among scientists. Some of the new species identified in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil appear to be more contagious than previous species, but not necessarily more deadly.
Coronavirus mutations in some countries
According to the report, it is not surprising that the virus has mutated, and researchers are rapidly trying to determine how these changes will affect new vaccines and life-saving treatments. Some preliminary findings, published on the bioRxiv website, show that a species identified in South Africa known as 501Y.V2 is able to escape antibodies that are injected into some form of treatment and reduce the effectiveness of existing vaccines. These data have not yet been reviewed by the same researcher.
Researchers at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in South Africa wrote: “In addition, 501Y.V2 escapes Covid-19 in the face of neutralizing antibodies in recovered plasma.” According to them, their summary “indicates the prospect of re-infection … and may indicate a reduction in the effectiveness of current vaccines.”
Low and unknown efficacy of Pfizer and modern vaccines
“Drugs, even if they are less effective, still provide adequate immunity, so the vaccine is worthwhile,” Fauci told at White House news conference, the report added.
Both Pfizer and Modern vaccines have been shown to be highly effective, providing 95% immunity to the disease. These vaccines act as “shock absorbers” and absorb some of the shock.
“We are following the species observed in South Africa very closely,” Fauchi said. “It’s kind of worrisome, but it’s not something we can handle.”
“Because of this reactionary nature of the vaccine, we need to vaccinate as many people as we can,” he said. Mutations occur when the vaccine is spread and repeats itself. This process can be suppressed if a sufficient number of people are vaccinated against the disease and so-called collective immunity is established.
“Honestly, we are paying close attention to the issue,” Fauchi said. If we have to modify the vaccine, alternative plans are available. “It is not difficult and tedious, and we are able to do it given the platforms we have.”
Uncertainty about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of vaccines for the mutated virus
Elsewhere in the report, Kate O’Brien, director of immunization at the World Health Organization, said it was too early to get clear information on whether emerging species were affecting existing vaccines. O’Brien added that not all species work the same way, and that the answer depends on the type of mutation and the vaccine.
“Information is being completed and there are several ways in which assessments can be made to determine whether … vaccines are less effective against different types of disease,” he told a news conference.
Dr. Rachel Valensky, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday that while she believes vaccines are effective against mutated strains of the virus, they may not be as effective as clinical trials.
“I may be wrong,” Valensky said. “We may discover species and species that are less affected by vaccines, but I am still optimistic.”
Preliminary data
Fauci said the United States has not yet detected cases of Covid-19 of the type observed in South Africa. He added, however, that the rate of monitoring of new species “is not at a level that is desirable to us. Research on new species is in its infancy and has a limited nature. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases used blood samples from 44 people who had previously had Covid-19 to determine if the antibodies in their blood were resistant to 501Y.V2. The study found that in about half of the cases, neutralizing antibodies were not effective against the new species, and as a result, people may be more susceptible to re-infection.
The researchers noted that extensive clinical trials were needed to determine the outcome of the vaccine. “Nevertheless, the 501Y.V2’s safe evasion rate from pre-existing neutralizing antibodies highlights the urgent need for rapidly adapting vaccine design platforms.”
Need for a multi-stage vaccine
In another study by Rockefeller University, which was not reviewed by the same researcher, blood samples were taken from 20 people who had received the modern or Pfizer vaccine, and antibodies in their blood were tested against mutated strains of the virus. Were. The researchers found that antibodies were not effective against some mutant viruses. They said that messenger arana (mRNA) vaccines “may need to be updated periodically so that their clinical effect is not lost.”
“It’s a small difference, but it still makes a difference,” Dr. Michel Nassenzweig, who led the Rockefeller University study, told the Associated Press.
However, a study by Pfizer and Biontec scientists published on the BioArcave website found that their Covid-19 vaccine probably had the same efficacy against the mutated and contagious species discovered in the UK. At least 144 cases of the English type have been detected in the United States so far, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study authors warn that the rapid spread of Covid species around the world requires “continuous monitoring of the significance of the changes in order to maintain the safety of newly approved vaccines.”
