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Chris Smith
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- Researchers tested the Moderna vaccine candidate against the UK mutation (B.1.1.7) and found that the neutralizing antibodies still work against the new strain.
- The tests also involved testing neutralizing antibodies from people with acute COVID-19 infections and COVID-19 survivors.
- The researchers found that infected people contained antibodies capable of neutralizing the UK mutation, which should reduce the risk of reinfection.
COVID-19 vaccination campaigns started less than two months ago, and more than 134 million doses have already been administered, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker. That’s more doses than the number of confirmed worldwide COVID-19 infections so far, but not enough to alter the course of the pandemic. The world is far from reaching herd immunity, which could put a stop to the pandemic, with the same tracker estimating that it would take some 6.6 years to vaccinate 75% of the planet’s population at the current rate of nearly 4.75 million doses per day. That's a deeply flawed estimate, however, as it doesn't account for upcoming ramps in production and additional vaccines that will be authorized in the coming months and years.
That said, there’s a new problem that worries researchers: mutations. At least one of the recently discovered coronavirus mutants might reduce the efficacy of current vaccine candidates, and this could lead to additional delays in reaching herd immunity. But the vaccines still work against some known mutations, including the UK variant that’s dominant in Great Britain and making its way around the US and other regions. The good news is that new research indicates the Moderna vaccine is effective against the UK strain and a mutation seen in different variants.
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This is amazing news about the Moderna coronavirus vaccine originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 9 Feb 2021 at 11:04:10 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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