Coronavirus: Biontech vaccine with 100 percent effectiveness in the South African variant

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According to new data, the vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer also offers high protection against Covid-19 and the more contagious virus variants.

For study participants whose vaccination was up to six months ago, the effectiveness is around 91 percent, according to the data published on Thursday by the two partners.

That's a bit lower than the 95 percent that Biontech and Pfizer reported in November from the study of 44,000 participants.

Since then, however, a number of corona variants have spread worldwide.

Experts fear that the new variants from South Africa and Brazil may be resistant to existing vaccines.

In the United States, the South African variant has been found in more than 25 states.

In Germany, the British variant is particularly rampant and has now reached a share of almost 90 percent.

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In South Africa, where the number of study participants was relatively small at 800 and the South African variant dominated, the vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer showed an effectiveness of 100 percent in preventing disease.

Effectiveness against the South African variant "particularly noteworthy"

"These data confirm our belief that we have some really effective vaccines," said Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London.

The effectiveness against the South African variant is "particularly remarkable".

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the new data paved the way for companies to get regular approval in the US.

So far, he has been vaccinated as part of an emergency approval by the US health authority FDA.

It has conditional approval in the European Union.

"We cannot recommend switching vaccines"

In the future, AstraZeneca will only be vaccinated to over 60-year-olds.

What happens now to those who have already received a primary vaccination?

Virologist Prof. Tomas Jelinek advises against changing the vaccine in between.

Source: WORLD

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There are now data on more than 12,000 people who have been fully vaccinated for at least six months.

More than 900 infections were reviewed, most of which occurred in the group that received a placebo.

In addition, no “serious safety concerns” were reported.

The protection provided by the vaccine was the same regardless of age, gender and ethnic origin.

The vaccine is said to be 100 percent effective in preventing serious diseases when the criteria of the United States Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are used.

According to the FDA, it is 95.3 percent effective in preventing serious diseases.