A drive-thru coronavirus testing facility in Pretoria, South Africa.
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg
A study by South African scientists into the new coronavirus variant leading to a resurgence of cases in the country has raised concerns about the efficacy of vaccines and a new class of therapies.
Half of the blood samples taken from a small group of people to recover from Covid-19 did not have the antibodies needed to protect against the 501Y.V2 strain identified last month, according to the paper. the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases. In the other half, antibody levels were reduced and the risk of reinfection could not be determined, the institute said.
New strains of the virus have also been identified in countries such as the UK and Brazil, raising concerns that increasingly dangerous versions of the pathogen that have yet to emerge could hinder the global rollout of vaccines.
The recently identified parentage in Brazil “also has changes in key positions,” which has been shown in this study to “affect neutralizing antibodies,” the scientists said. “Our data suggests that this line is also likely to show a significant degree of neutralization resistancemaking both lines a significant public health problem. “
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The NICD’s findings may “foreshadow the diminished efficacy of current spike-based vaccines,” the scientists said. They also suggest treatment with plasma from donors who have had the coronavirus may not be successful in those with this variant. The findings were not peer-reviewed and were based on samples of 44 donors.
“These data underscore the need for more, continuous monitoring and sequencing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic,” said the authors, including Penny Moore, a professor at NICD.
The kind that emerged in South Africa is about to pass 50% more transferable than previous versions, Salim Abdool Karim, co-chair of the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee, said in a presentation earlier this week. However, there is no evidence that it 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 their Covid-19 vaccine will protect against the new variant of the coronavirus emerging in the UK. Scientists have previously said that many existing vaccines can be adapted to new strains if necessary.
– With the help of Naomi Kresge
(Updates with a small sample size and that the study was not peer-reviewed in the fifth paragraph)