Sarah Bennett
The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine has been found to offer 100% protection against the South African variant, according to two new studies. However, the AstraZeneca vaccine has been found to offer only 10.4% efficacy against mild-to-moderate infections caused by the B.1.351 South Africa variant. This has caused concern as the South African variants share similar mutations to other variants, which could leave vaccinated individuals exposed to multiple variants. While the AstraZeneca vaccine may offer minimal protection against mild and moderate cases, experts are hopeful that it will still be effective at preventing severe disease.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Does the Pfizer vaccine protect against the South African variant? | Two studies suggest that the Pfizer vaccine offers 100% protection against the South African variant. |
| Does the AstraZeneca vaccine protect against the South African variant? | The AstraZeneca vaccine offers minimal protection against the South African variant. |
| Does the Johnson & Johnson vaccine protect against the South African variant? | The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has demonstrated protection against hospitalisation and death. |
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What You'll Learn
- Pfizer vaccine offers 100% protection against the South African variant
- AstraZeneca vaccine offers minimal protection against the variant
- Moderna vaccine efficacy is around 94.1% against the variant
- Novavax vaccine efficacy drops to 60.1% against the variant
- Johnson & Johnson vaccine offers protection against hospitalisation and death
Pfizer vaccine offers 100% protection against the South African variant
The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine appears to offer 100% protection against the South African variant. Two studies were carried out on the vaccine, which found it to offer complete protection against the South African variant. The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has said that its findings show the vaccine is 100% effective in preventing Covid-19 cases in South Africa, where the South African variant is now common.
Among 800 people in South Africa, nine cases of the South African variant were observed—all in the group not given the vaccine. Of the nine people who fell ill, an analysis showed they had six of the nine known South African variant strains. The 800 people were part of a larger phase three clinical trial that also showed the vaccine was highly effective after six months. Ugur Sahin, BioNTech's chief executive, said the trial figures "provide the first clinical results that a vaccine can effectively protect against currently circulating variants, a critical factor for herd immunity, and end this pandemic for the global population".
However, some sources suggest that the Pfizer vaccine may be weaker against the South African variant. A study found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine offered roughly two-thirds less antibody protection against the South African variant. This has raised concerns that the company will need to develop booster shots to offer enough protection against the variant. Mene Pangalos, executive vice president for biopharmaceuticals research and development at AstraZeneca, believes that "against severe disease, our vaccine will be effective against all variants of concern".
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AstraZeneca vaccine offers minimal protection against the variant
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been found to offer minimal protection against the South African variant of COVID-19. A phase 1b-2 clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were only 10.4% effective against mild-to-moderate infections caused by the B.1.351 South Africa variant.
The trial, which was conducted between June 24 and November 9, 2020, in South Africa, evaluated the safety and efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine in HIV-negative adults aged 18 to 64 years old with a median age of 30 years old. Out of the 750 vaccine recipients, 19 (2.5%) developed mild to moderate COVID-19 more than 14 days after the second dose, compared to 23 out of 717 (3.2%) placebo recipients. Of the 42 total COVID-19 cases, 39 (93%) were caused by the B.1.351 South Africa variant.
The South African variant shares similar mutations with several other variants, including the UK B.1.351 variant and the NYC variant B.1.5.26, which are responsible for over 51% of New York COVID-19 cases. This has raised concerns that those vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine may be potentially exposed to multiple variants.
While the AstraZeneca vaccine offers minimal protection against mild to moderate cases of the South African variant, it is important to note that there were no cases of hospitalization or death observed in the study. The relatively young median age of the participants likely influenced the lack of severe COVID-19 cases.
In response to the findings, South Africa halted the use of Covishield, a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and switched to using the Pfizer-BioNTech and single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines. However, South Africa has indicated that it may resume the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to its high level of effectiveness against the Delta variant, which is becoming the dominant strain worldwide.
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Moderna vaccine efficacy is around 94.1% against the variant
The Moderna vaccine has an efficacy of around 94.1% against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. Moderna's vaccine uses mRNA technology, similar to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which has been shown to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic disease. Moderna's vaccine has been updated to target new variants, and its variant booster vaccine has proven effective against the B.1.351 South African variant. Clinical studies have shown that a booster dose of Moderna's variant vaccine achieved a higher number of neutralising antibodies against the B.1.351 variant than a booster dose of the original strain vaccine.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shown to offer 100% protection against the South African variant in a phase three clinical trial involving 800 people in South Africa. Among the group, nine cases of the South African variant were observed, all in the group not given the vaccine. This provides encouraging evidence that the vaccine is effective against the South African variant, which has been a concern for scientists.
While the AstraZeneca vaccine has been a cause for concern, with studies showing only 10.4% efficacy against mild-to-moderate infections caused by the B.1.351 South African variant, experts believe that it will still be effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalisation. The relatively young median age of participants in the study (30 years) may have influenced the lack of severe Covid-19 cases.
The Moderna vaccine has been shown to be effective against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and has been updated to target new variants. Clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the Moderna booster against the B.1.351 South African variant, providing a higher number of neutralising antibodies. While the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine offers promising results with 100% protection against the South African variant, and the AstraZeneca vaccine has shown limited efficacy, all vaccines play a crucial role in preventing severe disease, hospitalisation, and death.
In addition to the Moderna vaccine's efficacy against the South African variant, it is worth noting that Moderna's vaccine has also demonstrated comparable effectiveness to the Pfizer vaccine in preventing symptomatic infection and hospitalisation. A 2022 study found that the Moderna vaccine was slightly more effective in these areas. Furthermore, the Moderna vaccine has been associated with slightly fewer side effects than Pfizer's vaccine in older adults, according to a 2023 study.
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Novavax vaccine efficacy drops to 60.1% against the variant
The Novavax vaccine's efficacy against the South African variant has been a cause for concern. The variant, known as B.1.351, carries mutations that threaten the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. The Novavax post-hoc analysis, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, revealed a 60.1% efficacy rate against symptomatic COVID-19 in South Africa. The study included nearly 2,700 volunteers who had no prior coronavirus infection. The results showed a 60.1% efficacy rate against a mixture of the original virus and the South African variant among HIV-negative participants. However, efficacy dropped to 49.4% in a mixed group of HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals.
The Novavax vaccine's effectiveness in preventing severe disease or hospitalization is still uncertain. Dr Peter English, a retired consultant in communicable disease control, emphasized that this information is crucial in evaluating a vaccine's usefulness. Nevertheless, English also pointed out that most vaccines tend to be more effective at preventing severe disease than mild disease, so the Novavax vaccine could potentially offer better protection against hospitalizations and deaths.
The South African variant has posed challenges to various vaccines. The AstraZeneca vaccine, for instance, offered only 10.4% efficacy against mild-to-moderate infections caused by the B.1.351 variant, according to a clinical trial. This has prompted a push for the development of second-generation vaccines that can provide greater protection against emerging variants.
While the Pfizer vaccine has shown promising results with 100% protection against the South African variant, it is important to acknowledge that the trial included a relatively small number of participants. Experts suggest that as more data accumulates, the protection rate might change.
The CDC has been tracking the BA.2.87.1 variant, which was first identified in South Africa and possesses numerous mutations. However, it is too early to determine how effective current vaccines are against this new variant. Existing immunity from vaccines and previous infections still offers good protection against a wide range of variants.
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Johnson & Johnson vaccine offers protection against hospitalisation and death
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been found to offer protection against hospitalisation and death. Professor Glenda Gray, the CEO of the Medical Research Council and co-lead investigator of the Sisonke programme study, affirmed that the vaccine is safe and provides effective protection against serious illness and death from COVID-19 infection. The study, which commenced on 17 February 2021 and concluded on 17 May 2021, reached over 470,000 healthcare workers across 120 sites in South Africa.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has shown promising results in protecting against severe COVID-19. Globally, the vaccine demonstrated 66% efficacy against mild to severe COVID-19 and an 85% success rate against severe forms of the disease. Notably, the vaccine offers 72% efficacy in the United States, but this number drops to 57% in South Africa, where it was tested against the highly contagious 501Y.V2 variant.
The Phase 3 trial enrolled a substantial 43,000 participants, of whom 6,350 (15%) were South African. Professor Gray emphasised the significance of these results, stating, "These are incredible results [which make] Covid-19 more benign." The vaccine's ability to prevent severe illness and death is particularly noteworthy, with Gray asserting that it can "avert death and hospitalisation" and "reduce the burden of the disease."
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been found to be effective against the Beta and Delta variants, which are prevalent in South Africa. The vaccine data recorded between 65% and 66% protection against hospitalisation and between 91% and 95% protection against death. Johnson & Johnson executive Dr Paul Stoffels emphasised the vaccine's "complete protection against death and hospitalisation," even in the presence of various variants.
While the Johnson & Johnson vaccine offers promising protection, it is important to note that vaccine efficacy is lower against the variant dominant in South Africa. The South African variant, also known as the B.1.351 or 501Y.V2 variant, has been a cause for concern due to its unique mutations. The AstraZeneca vaccine, for example, was found to have only 10.4% efficacy against mild-to-moderate infections caused by the B.1.351 variant in a clinical trial.
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Frequently asked questions
The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine appears to offer 100% protection against the South African variant.
The AstraZeneca vaccine offers limited protection against the South African variant. Two doses of the vaccine were found to have only a 10.4% efficacy against mild-to-moderate infections caused by the B.1.351 South Africa variant.
Testing for the Novavax vaccine suggests a reduction from 89.3% efficacy against the virus to 60.1% efficacy against the variant.
Early results from Johnson & Johnson testing suggest a reduction from 72% efficacy to 52%. However, new data on Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine shows that it is 85% effective against severe or critical disease and has demonstrated protection against hospitalisation and death.
The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is currently the only vaccine that appears to offer 100% protection against the South African variant.
