AstraZeneca To Develop Vaccine Against Covid-19 Variant By End-2021

A modified version of the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine to combat a coronavirus variant first documented in South Africa could be ready by the end of 2021, Reuters reported, citing an AstraZeneca official¡¯s interview.

This comes after a small study suggested that that the vaccine was almost entirely ineffective at preventing mild cases of Covid-19 against the South African variant, B.1.351; and that it takes 86 times as many antibodies from the AstraZeneca vaccine to neutralize B.1.351 as it does to neutralize the original strain of the virus.

TOI

Sarah Walters, AstraZeneca's Austria country manager, told the Kurier newspaper that these studies indicating the existing AstraZeneca vaccine was less effective against the more infectious variant first documented in South Africa were "too small to draw final conclusions".

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"In the meantime, AstraZeneca and Oxford University have started on modifications to the vaccine for the South African variant and we expect it will be ready by the end of the year, should it be needed," she said.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has received regulatory approval in more than 100 countries, including in India where it is being manufactured as Covishield by the Serum Institute of India.

Reuters

Notably, preliminary studies suggest that both Covishield and Covaxin are effective against the B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the United Kingdom, which is one of the two prevailing mutations in India.

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¡°Covaxin is effective against both UK and Brazilian variant; Covishield is effective against the UK variant but we are awaiting its efficacy data against the Brazilian strain. The South African variant could not be cultured so far,¡± a senior official told TOI.

Reuters

Meanwhile, Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has also proved to be less effective against the South African Covid-19 variant but neutralises the British variant effectively.

India recently authorised the use of the Sputnik V vaccine, the first batch of which will be arriving later this month.

Reuters

Genetic mutations of viruses like SARS-CoV-2 emerge frequently, but some variants are labelled ¡°variants of concern¡±, because they can reinfect people who have had a previous infection or vaccination, or are more transmissible or can lead to more severe disease.

There are currently at least three documented SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Meanwhile, the new variant witnessed in India, which has a so-called double mutation, has been detected in at least 10 other countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Representational Image/PTI

Researchers and scientists claim there isn¡¯t enough data yet to classify it as a "variant of concern", however, they¡¯re checking if the new Indian Covid-19 strain spreads more easily and evades vaccines.