RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Preliminary data from a study conducted at the University of Oxford indicates that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca PLC is effective against the P1 or Brazilian variant, a source of knowledge of the study said Reuters on Friday.
The data indicates that the vaccine does not need to be modified to provide protection against the variant, which is believed to originate from the Amazon city of Manaus, said the source, who asked for anonymity as the results have not yet been made public .
The source did not provide the exact efficacy of the vaccine against the variant. They said the full results of the study should be released soon, possibly in March.
Initial results indicated that the AstraZeneca vaccine was less effective against the South African variant, which is comparable to P1. South Africa subsequently stopped using the vaccine in the country.
The information is because a small sample study suggested that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac of China may not be effective against the Brazilian variant.
In response to a request for comment, Fiocruz, who sent the samples that formed the basis of the investigation, told Reuters that it had no information about the investigation as it was led by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.
Representatives from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Brazil is currently facing a brutal and protracted second wave of the coronavirus, with a daily record of 1,910 deaths on Wednesday.
The P1 variant is one of the factors that epidemiologists believe is contributing to an increase in cases and deaths, and the scientific community is concerned about the variant’s resistance to vaccines.
Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Gram Slattery; Editing by Hugh Lawson