Pfizer Announces They Will Test a 3rd Dose of Covid Vaccine
Apr 16, 2021 14:25:30 GMT -5
Post by J.J.Gibbs on Apr 16, 2021 14:25:30 GMT -5
Pfizer-BioNTech Announces They Will Test a Third Dose of Their COVID-19 Vaccine
Tracking the Vaccine: From Freezer to Front Line
BY ALICE PARK
FEBRUARY 25, 2021 9:35 AM EST
Pfizer-BioNTech has begun testing a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine in a small group of people. The vaccine is currently authorized in several countries in a two-dose regimen, given 21 days apart, and has proven in studies to be about 95% effective in protecting against COVID-19 disease. But as new (and more infectious) genetic variants of the COVID-19 virus start circulating—so far, scientists have identified three major strains, first found in the U.K., South Africa, and Brazil, respectively—questions about how well authorized vaccines can still thwart the virus have become more urgent.
Pfizer-BioNTech have already done studies testing blood serum from people vaccinated with their original shot against some of these variants, and found that the immune response triggered by the two doses is still quite protective. In fact, in the case of the U.K. variant (referred to as B.1.1.7), levels of antibodies produced by the vaccine regimen, an important immune defense against the virus, were similar to levels against the original, non-mutated virus. However, the researchers found that the level of antibodies produced by the original vaccine were lower against the South African variant (referred to as B.1.351). Pfizer-BioNTech hasn’t yet completed the same level of rigorous testing against the Brazilian variant (referred to as P1).
“So far we haven’t heard any reports of breakthrough cases [among vaccinated people] related to any of the new variants,” says Mikael Dolsten, chief scientific officer at Pfizer, referring to serious infections with the variant viruses among vaccinated people. “But we always want to be one step ahead of the virus. That made us think about generating data on a third boost. We are going to give people who were part of our Phase 1-2 study from last summer a boost with another dose of the current vaccine. We expect that the antibody levels may rise against current variants to strengthen protection.”
Full article at link
Tracking the Vaccine: From Freezer to Front Line
BY ALICE PARK
FEBRUARY 25, 2021 9:35 AM EST
Pfizer-BioNTech has begun testing a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine in a small group of people. The vaccine is currently authorized in several countries in a two-dose regimen, given 21 days apart, and has proven in studies to be about 95% effective in protecting against COVID-19 disease. But as new (and more infectious) genetic variants of the COVID-19 virus start circulating—so far, scientists have identified three major strains, first found in the U.K., South Africa, and Brazil, respectively—questions about how well authorized vaccines can still thwart the virus have become more urgent.
Pfizer-BioNTech have already done studies testing blood serum from people vaccinated with their original shot against some of these variants, and found that the immune response triggered by the two doses is still quite protective. In fact, in the case of the U.K. variant (referred to as B.1.1.7), levels of antibodies produced by the vaccine regimen, an important immune defense against the virus, were similar to levels against the original, non-mutated virus. However, the researchers found that the level of antibodies produced by the original vaccine were lower against the South African variant (referred to as B.1.351). Pfizer-BioNTech hasn’t yet completed the same level of rigorous testing against the Brazilian variant (referred to as P1).
“So far we haven’t heard any reports of breakthrough cases [among vaccinated people] related to any of the new variants,” says Mikael Dolsten, chief scientific officer at Pfizer, referring to serious infections with the variant viruses among vaccinated people. “But we always want to be one step ahead of the virus. That made us think about generating data on a third boost. We are going to give people who were part of our Phase 1-2 study from last summer a boost with another dose of the current vaccine. We expect that the antibody levels may rise against current variants to strengthen protection.”
Full article at link
