The South African variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is now spreading to 31 countries worldwide, following the infection of three additional territories, or 8 more countries. More contagious than the original form of the virus, the South African variant is of great concern.
The South African variant of SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) weekly epidemiological review, published on Wednesday 27 January, it is now present in 31 countries and territories, or in 8 more countries. Results that raise concerns about the increased rates of reinfection of the novel coronavirus.
According to the WHO, recent laboratory studies on a limited number of patients have shown that the South African variant of the virus is less susceptible to antibody neutralization. Although further studies are underway to better interpret the efficacy of vaccines against this variant, “preliminary data using serums from people vaccinated with Moderna serum showed a reduction in neutralizing antibody titers of variant 501Y.V2 compared to previous variants tested.” The WHO points out, however, that these are preliminary findings that require further research, including more samples and an assessment of neutralization changes on clinical efficacy.
Moderna announced on Monday, January 25, that it is working, as a precaution, on a new form of its Covid-19 vaccine to combat the Sars-CoV-2 variant that appeared in South Africa. Laboratory tests show, according to the company, that the vaccine developed by the American start-up works against this South African variant and against the one detected for the first time in the United Kingdom. But like Pfizer-BioNTech, this product is slightly less effective against variant detected in South Africa
As a result, the company is exploring two options to boost the effectiveness of its vaccine. While vaccination is currently done in two doses, it will conduct trials to see “whether adding a booster dose of its original vaccine can enhance antibody levels against emerging variants”. It is also developing “a new version of the vaccine that specifically targets mutations in the South African variant and will test whether, given as a booster injection, this dose induces a better immune response”.
