Pfizer says its vaccine appears effective against new Covid-19 variant

Most of the vaccines being rolled out around the world train the body to recognize that spike protein and fight it.

Pfizer vaccine appears effective against new Covid-19 strain in UK

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine appeared to work against a key mutation in the highly transmissible new variants of the coronavirus discovered in the UK and South Africa, according to a laboratory study conducted by the U.S. drugmaker.

Those variants are causing global concern. They both share a common mutation called N501Y, a slight alteration on one spot of the spike protein that coats the virus. That change is believed to be the reason they can spread so easily.

What Is The Active Ingredient In The Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine?

The active ingredient is messenger RNA that carries instructions for making the virus's spike protein, which it uses to gain entry to cells. The mRNA is synthetic, not extracted from actual viruses.

The Vaccine Train Your body To Recognise The Spike Protein

Most of the vaccines being rolled out around the world train the body to recognize that spike protein and fight it. Pfizer teamed with researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for laboratory tests to see if the mutation affected its vaccine's ability to do so.

The Covid-19 Mutation Doesn't Seem To Be A Problem

They used blood samples from 20 people who received the vaccine, made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. Antibodies from those vaccine recipients successfully fended off the virus in lab dishes, according to the study posted late Thursday on an online site for researchers.

But "it was a very reassuring finding that at least this mutation, which was one of the ones people are most concerned about, does not seem to be a problem" for the vaccine, said Pfizer chief scientific officer Dr Philip Dormitzer.

Does The Covid-19 Virus Undergo Changes?

Viruses constantly undergo minor changes as they spread from person to person. Scientists have used these slight modifications to track how the coronavirus has moved around the globe since it was first detected in China about a year ago.

British scientists have said the variant found in the UK which has become the dominant type in parts of England -- still seemed to be susceptible to vaccines. That mutant has now been found in the US and numerous other countries.

South Africa's Version Of The Virus

But the variant first discovered in South Africa has an additional mutation that has scientists on edge, one named E484K.

The Pfizer study found that the vaccine appeared to work against 15 additional possible virus mutations, but E484K wasn't among those tested. Dormitzer said it is next on the list.

More Mutations Might Lead To "Further Adjustments In The Vaccine"

Dormitzer said if the virus eventually mutates enough that the vaccine needs adjusting much like flu shots are adjusted most years that tweaking the recipe wouldn't be difficult for his company's shot and similar ones. The vaccine is made with a piece of the virus genetic code, simple to switch, although it's not clear what kind of additional testing regulators would require to make such a change.

Dormitzer said this was only the beginning "of ongoing monitoring of virus changes to see if any of them might impact on vaccine coverage."

How effective is Pfizer's Covid vaccine?

Pfizer's vaccine, when administered in its full two-dose regimen, was found to be 95 percent effective at preventing symptomatic cases of Covid-19 a figure that was hailed as very welcome news amid soaring coronavirus caseloads.

What are some of the common side effects of Pfizer's Covid vaccine?

Typical side effects may include swelling or pain at the point of injection, tiredness, fever or headache, as well as muscular or joint pain. The incidence of fever has so far been found to be higher after the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.