Story at a glance
- New research shows the AstraZeneca and Oxford COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the more transmissible U.K. strain.
- The antibody count from volunteers was noticeably lower against the variant when compared to the original strain.
The vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford provides protection against the more contagious COVID-19 variant that emerged in the U.K., fresh data from clinical trials shows.
In a paper published in The Lancet medical journal, the university confirmed Friday that its vaccine candidate is about 75 percent effective at preventing an infection of the strain first discovered in the U.K., as opposed to an efficacy rate of 84 percent against older variants.
Mutations in the COVID-19 spike protein have been recorded in countries like the U.K., South Africa and Brazil. Due to changes in the binding receptors that outline the spike protein, studies suggest these strains are more transmissible than the original COVID-19 particle.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report in the paper’s findings.
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The study used a control group to determine the efficacy rate of the vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, against the U.K. variant.
Of the 323 swabs that were analyzed and sequenced, volunteers who received the AstraZeneca vaccine experienced a significantly lower viral load than those who were given the control substance — indicating a smaller presence of COVID-19.
Researchers also found that the antibody response produced by the vaccine in response to the U.K. mutation was nine-fold lower in comparison to the antibody count generated against the original COVID-19 strain.
“Efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 against the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is similar to the efficacy of the vaccine against other lineages,” the report concludes. “Furthermore, vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 results in a reduction in the duration of shedding and viral load, which may translate into a material impact on transmission of disease.”
The emergence of these new strains has prompted questions as to whether or not the COVID-19 vaccines that have been in development since 2020 will provide adequate protection against the new variants.
Burgeoning trial data from companies whose COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for distribution, including Pfizer, have shown some promise against the virus’s mutations.
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