Pfizer’s COVID vaccine is ‘highly likely’ to work against the new mutation everyone’s talking about

[Chris Smith]

• British government officials announced last week that a new coronavirus mutation was discovered in the south of England, where it has been spreading rapidly since September.
• The B.1.1.7 mutation features no less than 17 different genetic changes and is believed to be more infectious than other known coronavirus strains.
• BioNTech, the German company that created Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, said on Tuesday that the drug is “highly likely” to work against the new UK mutation.

The novel coronavirus mutation that created havoc around the world in the past few days is called B.1.1.7, and it might not be such a big threat after all.

Well-known researchers in the field have warned that there’s still a lot we don’t know about the new virus strain. Early evidence suggests the new mutation is more infectious than other known strains but it doesn't necessarily cause more severe cases of COVID-19. The mutated virus was first observed in September and features a collection of 17 different mutations, including no less than eight on the spike protein that binds to human cells. That virus component is what neutralizing antibodies attack during recovery, but also after vaccination. Experts also said it's likely that the B.1.1.7 strain will still be targeted by vaccines.

BioNTech, which created the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in Western countries, says its drug that is being manufactured and distributed by Pfizer is “highly likely” to work against the new UK strain.

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Pfizer’s COVID vaccine is ‘highly likely’ to work against the new mutation everyone’s talking about originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 22 Dec 2020 at 10:52:58 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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