Citing early data of several studies, Dr. Anthony Fauci suggests that the two-dose Covid vaccines already in use, namely Pfizer and Moderna, are at least partially and probably protective against two coronavirus variants identified in India, New York Post writes.
During Tuesday’s White House COVID-19 briefing, held virtually, Fauci said that data from several studies showed the vaccines maintained antibodies against a wide range of variants for as long as six months and effectiveness well within the cushion effect to protect against infections and serious sickness.
Based on lab experiments involving cell cultures, the B.1.617 and B.1.618 variants seem to be partially resistant to the antibodies elicited by vaccination, but Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines appear to protect against them, US researchers have reported in a new pre-print paper posted to the online server biorxiv.org on Sunday.
The more contagious India variant, B.1.617.2 that may be 50 percent more transmissible than the 2020 strain, which is expected to become the dominant strain in the UK and it’s now made its way into the US, may run counter to the country’s effort to lift coronavirus restrictions although no statements has been made on that issue.
The WHO has classified Indian coronavirus variant as a variant of global concern
According to the results of a recent Moderna clinical trial, getting a third shot of its vaccine boosted its effectiveness against variants first identified in Brazil and South Africa, with the company expressed at the same time readiness to improve its vaccine as new mutations emerged.
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