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The researchers wrote in a letter to the New England Medical Journal, published Monday, that neutralizing the Brazilian mutant of the emerging corona virus, known as P.1, was “almost equivalent” to neutralizing the original strain of the virus, which the Pfizer vaccine has been shown to be very effective against.
The mutated strain P.1 had raised the concern of health authorities, due to the increase in the number of infections it caused in Brazil.
The leading infectious disease specialist in the United States, Dr Anthony Fauci, warned last week that there were “initial reports” indicating that the mutated virus is more contagious, and that the antibodies produced by the vaccines “could be less efficient “.
But the results published by researchers at Pfizer, its German partner, Biontech, and the University of Texas Medical Branch, are reassuring.
As expected, the study also demonstrated strong neutralization of the B.1.1.7 mutant, which was first detected in the UK.
Regarding the viral mutation first discovered in South Africa, known as B.1.351, which is of most concern, given its potential ability to weaken vaccine efficacy to some extent, l study found that controlling for this variable was “strong, but less.”
University of Washington biology professor Karl Bergstrom praised the study’s results and said in a tweet on Twitter: “We are seeing strong neutralizing activity against all strains that the vaccine has been tested against, including P.1, which is spreading very quickly in Brazil. “
The professor added that the vaccine activity, although reduced “against the strain B.1.351 from South Africa, is still very impressive”.
The study authors cautioned that their results are based on an in vitro study and ultimately need to be validated with factual evidence.
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