New research suggests that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can protect against a mutation found in two highly contagious variants of the coronavirus that erupted in Britain and South Africa.
Pfizer vaccine found to be effective against new COVID-19 strain, UTMB researchers say
FacebookTwitterEmail
1of5
Doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine being prepared for Houston Fire Department District 20 Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, at Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital in Houston.Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographerShow MoreShow Less
2of5
Registered nurse Wanda Parker prepares a dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for Houston Fire Department District 20 Chief Patrick Rocha Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, at Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital in Houston.Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographerShow MoreShow Less
3of5
4of5
Dr. Pei-Yong Shi, a virologist and professor of human genetics at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, conducted a study determining that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is effective against mutated, highly-transmissible strains of the virus.University of Texas Medical Branch at GalvestonShow MoreShow Less
Jan 8, 2021
Syringes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine sit in a tray in a vaccination room at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
New research suggests that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can protect against a mutation found in two easier-to-spread variants of the coronavirus that erupted in Britain and South Africa.
Those variants are causing global concern. They carry multiple mutations but share one in common that’s believed to be the reason they are more contagious. Called N501Y, it is a slight alteration on one spot of the spike protein that coats the virus.