Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

COVID-19: Delaying second dose of Pfizer jab may leave elderly at risk of catching South African variant, study suggests

COVID-19: Delaying second dose of Pfizer jab may leave elderly at risk of catching South African variant, study suggests

Lab tests showed that one dose of the vaccine may not stimulate the immune system to produce enough antibodies to kill the virus.

Delaying the second dose of the Pfizer jab – the current government strategy - may leave some elderly patients at risk of infection by the South African variant, new research suggests.

Lab tests by scientists at Cambridge University showed that one dose of the vaccine may not stimulate the immune system to produce enough antibodies to kill the virus.

Only after a second dose would antibody levels be protective, according to preliminary data in the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Meanwhile, the South African variant has a mutation called E484K that helps it evade the immune system.

SOUTH AFRICAN VARIANT CASES



Some samples of the Kent variant have now been detected with the same mutation.

The Cambridge researchers tested blood samples from 26 people, 15 of them over 80, who had received one dose of the Pfizer jab against synthetic versions of both variants.

Antibodies in all volunteers were sufficient to kill the Kent variant.

But when the E484K mutation was added 10 times more antibodies were needed to neutralise the virus.

According to researchers, seven people had antibody levels that were insufficient to kill the virus after one dose of the vaccine, all of them over 80.

Only after a second dose, given three weeks later, were their antibody levels boosted to a level that killed the virus.

The study comes on the day Sky News analysis showed the number of deaths in the second wave of COVID-19 infections has now overtaken the number from the first.

Dr Dami Collier, one of the co-investigators, said: "Our data suggest that a significant proportion of people aged over 80 may not have developed protective neutralising antibodies against infection three weeks after their first dose of the vaccine.

"But it's reassuring to see that after two doses, serum from every individual was able to neutralise the virus."

Professor Ravi Gupta, the lead researcher, said: "Our work suggests the vaccine is likely to be less effective when dealing with this (E484K) mutation.

"B1.1.7 [the Kent variant] will continue to acquire mutations seen in the other variants of concern, so we need to plan for the next generation of vaccines to have modifications to account for new variants.

"We also need to scale up vaccines as fast and as broadly as possible to get transmission down globally."

A Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said the decision to change vaccine dosage intervals (to spread them further apart) had come after a "thorough review of data" which showed the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was 89% effective in protection against COVID between 15 to 21 days after the first dose.

A DHSC statement said today's study had "assessed just one aspect of immunity, on a small cohort" and that getting vaccines deployed as quickly as possible to those at risk remained "our number one priority".

It concluded: "The Government is closely following the guidance of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the UK's four Chief Medical Officers, which recommends we prioritise first doses of vaccine for as many people as possible"

The E484K variant helps the coronavirus evade the immune system and was found in 11 samples of some 200,000 that have been sequenced.

Sky's science correspondent Thomas Moore said the discovery of the E484K mutation was a "worrying development," as it could reduce the effectiveness of COVID vaccines and could also mean those who had been previously infected could be re-infected.

He said the evolution of E484K meant the virus had effectively "developed a superpower" which enabled it to not only infect cells, but also to beat the immune system.

"It changes shape so antibodies don't recognise it in the same way, and the fact that this mutation has been now picked up in some samples of the Kent variant is a twist - a worrying development," said Thomas Moore.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×