Pfizer-BioNTech Covid Vaccine Effective Against UK & South Africa Variants, Says Report

As per a recent statement of Pfizer and BioNTech, makers of a covid-19 vaccine, their product is showcasing efficacy against the UK and South Africa variants of coronavirus. Pfizer and BioNTech say that preliminary findings do not emphasise the requirement of a new vaccine to handle the emerging strains. Both the firms also confirmed that they are prepared to respond in case a new strain evades the vaccine’s immunity while updating the vaccine if requirement occurs. 

The statement by Pfizer and BioNTech comes after Moderna, the renowned US biotech firm made an announcement regarding its novel coronavirus vaccine showcasing efficacy against the new and more infectious UK and South Africa strains of Covid-19.

It is to be noted that ICMR’s study on the Indian product Covaxin highlights a comparable neutralisation activity of the vaccinated individuals against the UK-variant strain. The plaque reduction neutralisation test was performed using sera collected from the 26 recipients of Covaxin against UK mutant virus. The test was performed by a scientist at ICMR's National Institute of Virology.

In the past few days, there has been a significant rise in the new novel coronavirus variant cases across many countries. 

According to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, the number of new UK covid-19 variant cases has reached 153.

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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.