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The Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, of which South Africa received a million doses earlier this month, is much less effective against the 501Y.V2 variant.
Previously, the vaccine had been shown to be between 63% and 90% effective in two doses, but to date it was not known with certainty how efficient it would be against new variants of Covid-19.
Financial Times has now reported the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine does not appear to protect against mild and moderate disease transmitted to the new variant.
Citing a recent study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed or published, the Financial Times said the vaccine “showed significantly reduced efficacy against the 501Y.V2 viral variant.”
AstraZeneca confirmed the report, saying its vaccine appears to provide only limited protection against the mild disease caused by the “South African variant” according to early data from a study conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Oxford.
The good news is that the vaccine is expected to protect against serious illness and death thanks to its neutralizing antibody activity similar to other vaccines.
AstraZeneca said they are currently tailoring the vaccine to protect against the 501Y.V2 variant and that clinical development is expected to advance rapidly.
The Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is based on a chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine vector. This is a weakened, harmless adenovirus that generally causes the common cold in chimpanzees.
It was chosen as the most suitable vaccine technology for a Covid-19 vaccine, as it has been shown to generate a strong immune response from one dose in other vaccines.
It has been genetically modified so that it is impossible for it to grow in humans. This also makes it safer to give it to children, the elderly, and anyone with a pre-existing condition such as diabetes.
Chimpanzee adenoviral vectors are a well-studied type of vaccine, which has been used safely in thousands of subjects.
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