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South African variant may 'break through' Pfizer jab, but vaccine highly effective: Israeli study

Maayan Lubell, Reuters
Updated as of Apr 19 06:56 AM

JERUSALEM (UPDATE) - The coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa can break through the protection provided by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine to some extent, a real-world data study in Israel found. However, the variant's prevalence in Israel is very low and the vaccine remains highly effective. Read more »

Virus variants found to be deadlier, more contagious; some may thwart vaccines

Nancy Lapid, Reuters
Posted at Mar 18 07:02 AM

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.   Read more »

Novavax COVID vaccine highly effective against severe disease: company

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 14 12:53 PM

US biotech firm Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine was shown to be 100 percent protective against severe cases of the disease, including hospitalization and death, the company said Thursday following trials.   Read more »

Mandaluyong COVID-19 cases double in 1 week, 2 infected with UK, S. African variants recover

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Mar 10 07:45 AM

Coronavirus infections in Mandaluyong have doubled in one week, Mayor Menchie Abalos said Wednesday, with 2 patients diagnosed with the South African and UK COVID-19 variants already recovering from the illness.  Read more »

South Africa COVID-19 strain 'offers immunity against other variants'

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 03 11:59 PM

JOHANNESBURG - A new study has shown that people previously infected by the COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa have better immunity against other coronavirus mutations, experts said Wednesday.    Read more »

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may be ‘ineffective’ if PH fails to contain South African variant: expert

Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Mar 03 08:06 PM

Some 17 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that the Philippines have procured may become ineffective if the Philippines fail to contain the more contagious coronavirus variant that was first detected in South Africa, a group of experts warned Wednesday. Read more »

Rise in Metro Manila's COVID-19 cases may be due to coronavirus variants: OCTA

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Mar 03 08:51 AM

The continued rise of Metro Manila's COVID-19 cases might be due to the UK and South African coronavirus variants, the OCTA Research Group said Wednesday. Read more »

Moderna S. Africa variant-specific vaccine ready for testing: company

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Feb 25 08:53 AM

US biotech firm Moderna said Wednesday that doses of its new COVID-19 vaccine candidate aimed at the South African coronavirus variant had been shipped to the US National Institutes of Health for testing.   Read more »

Pfizer says South African variant could significantly reduce vaccine protection

Michael Erman, Reuters
Posted at Feb 18 06:59 AM

A laboratory study suggests that the South African variant of the coronavirus may reduce antibody protection from the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE vaccine by two-thirds, and it is not clear if the shot will be effective against the mutation, the companies said on Wednesday. Read more »

Why more contagious variants are emerging, over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic

The Conversation/Reuters
Posted at Feb 16 03:41 PM

Every COVID-19 case gives the virus a chance to mutate, and if the number of infections continues to rise, more new variants are likely to emerge. Read more »

UK, South African, Brazilian: a virologist explains each COVID variant

Reuters
Posted at Feb 10 09:15 AM

But what exactly are these variants, and how concerned should we be?   Read more »

South Africa to start COVID-19 vaccinations with J&J doses

Alexander Winning, Reuters
Posted at Feb 09 10:47 AM

South Africa will start its immunization campaign with Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine after data showed AstraZeneca's shot offered minimal protection against mild-to-moderate illness from the dominant local virus variant.   Read more »

WHO says don't dismiss AstraZeneca shot after S. Africa delays jabs

Nina Larson, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Feb 09 06:36 AM

The World Health Organization insisted Monday that the AstraZeneca vaccine was still a vital tool in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, after South Africa delayed the start of its inoculation program over concerns about its efficacy against a virus variant.   Read more »

UK says AstraZeneca vaccine prevents COVID-19 death as South Africa halts shots

Reuters
Posted at Feb 08 05:52 PM

There is no evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine does not prevent death or serious illness, and South Africa has only imposed a temporary halt on using the vaccine, a British junior health minister said on Monday. Read more »

Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine remained active vs S. Africa variant, effect reduced - study

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Feb 03 01:26 PM

The paper was written by researchers from Sinopharm-affiliated Beijing Institute of Biological Products, the Institute of Microbiology of Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is co-developing a candidate with Zhifei unit, and two other Chinese agencies.   Read more »

UK begins door-to-door testing of 80,000 people as new COVID-19 variants spread

Reuters
Posted at Feb 02 04:14 PM

Britain begins door-to-door COVID-19 testing of 80,000 people on Tuesday in a bid to stem the spread of a new highly infectious so called South African variant of the novel coronavirus. Read more »

Fresh data show toll South African virus variant takes on vaccine efficacy

Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters
Posted at Jan 31 10:40 AM

Clinical trial data on two COVID-19 vaccines show that a coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa is lessening their ability to protect against the illness, underscoring the need to vaccinate vast numbers of people as quickly as possible, scientists said. Read more »

Pfizer vaccine only slightly less effective against key S.African mutations -study

Reuters
Posted at Jan 28 08:27 AM

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine appeared to only lose a small bit of effectiveness against an engineered virus with three key mutations from the new variant found in South Africa, according to a laboratory study conducted by the US drugmaker. Read more »

South Africa virus strain more contagious, experts confirm

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Jan 19 06:33 AM

A new variant of the coronavirus first identified in South Africa is more contagious than earlier versions, experts said on Monday, but there is no evidence that it is more deadly.  Read more »

COVID-19 variants: What the world knows so far

Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Dec 28 04:58 PM

Initial analysis indicates that the variant may spread more readily between people, with an estimated increase of between 40 percent and 70 percent in transmissibility. Read more »