Oxford Vaccine less effective against the South African COVID variant

AstraZeneca in a recent report said that Oxford vaccine is not as effective against mild, moderate COVID-19 due to South African variant.

By: Arushi Bidhuri | | Updated: February 8, 2021 11:36 am

No protection against mild, moderate COVID-19 due to South African variant

COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has claimed millions of lives across the globe. As the world continues to grapple with COVID-19, new strains of the coronavirus have put the world on a high alert. After the highly infectious UK strain, South African (SA) variant of the coronavirus seems to have wreaked havoc on the world. The South African variant, 501Y.V2 was found on December 18, 2020. The study has suggested that the variant is associated with a higher viral load, meaning higher transmissibility. Also Read - Registration on Co-WIN 2.0 portal for COVID-19 vaccination to open at 9 am today, here's what you need to know

AstraZeneca/Oxford Vaccine Not As Effective Against SA Variant

The SA variant appears to be more infectious, and some reports suggest that vaccine might not be as effective against this particular mutation of the coronavirus. In fact, British company AstraZeneca said that its coronavirus vaccine developed with the University of Oxford is not as effective against mild disease caused by the South African variant of the virus. Also Read - COVID-19 vaccine at ₹250 too low to sustain, Companies ‘feel betrayed’: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Media reports suggest that the Oxford vaccine showed significantly reduced efficacy against 501Y.V2 viral variant, which is dominant in South Africa. The Financial Times study studied the data of more than 2,000 young and healthy adults. Also Read - Gurugram apartment declared containment zone after 20 tested positive for COVID-19

“A two-dose regimen of (the vaccine) did not show protection against mild-moderate duet to (the South African variant),” the study indicated, adding that efficacy against severe COVID-19, hospitalizations and deaths was not yet determined.

“We do believe our vaccine could protect against severe disease, as neutralising antibody activity is equivalent to that of other Covid-19 vaccines that have demonstrated activity against more severe disease, particularly when the dosing interval is optimised to 8-12 weeks,” as per the report by AstraZeneca.

Johnson & Johnson And Novavax Also Less Effective Against SA Variant

Preliminary data suggests that Oxford vaccine works for the UK variant, which was believed to be more infectious than any other mutations of SARS-CoV-2. However, all COVID-19 vaccines so far have largely held up against the B.1.1.7 (UK variant), whereas the South African variant is more worrying.

In a report, both Johnson & Johnson and Novavax have said that their vaccines were less effective against the strain in clinical trials conducted in South Africa. However, both of these vaccines offered complete protection against severe disease and death in relation to COVID-19. Some studies even suggested that Moderna vaccine is less effective against the SA variant.

In a lab study using a pseudovirus with some mutations of the SA variant, BioNTech-Pfizer said that their vaccine was slightly less effective.

The 501Y.V2 variant, prevalent in South Africa, has now been discovered other countries including the United States and the United Kingdom.

Published : February 7, 2021 4:53 pm | Updated:February 8, 2021 11:36 am

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