How effective are the vaccines against the Brazil variant?

[LonePirate]

The variant is believed to be more easily transmissible, which has caused Brazil to set a new record for daily deaths - a record that seems likely to be broken soon as their strain is the dominant one in the country. Other South American countries are seeing an increase in cases due to the Brazil variant. Vancouver, Canada saw a one day increase of about 40% in Brazil variant cases. It seems like it is just a matter of time before it becomes the dominant strain in Canada and maybe the US.

Link to tweet

[lapfog_1]

1. The early evidence is that the "big Four"

Moderna, Pfizer, J&J, Astra-Zeneca

are all effective against the Brazil variant.

The worry is further mutations that will occur before vaccines "eradicate" the virus.

[LonePirate]

2. Thank you. I found this article that says both the Pfizer & Moderna are effective against severe ...

Illness from the Brazil variant. I expect booster shots this fall will offer much better protection although it seems the current vaccines are still effective, perhaps just not highly effective.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/qz.com/africa/1989920/do-vaccines-work-against-more-infectious-covid-19-virus-variants/amp/

[Celerity]

9. Different variant, but AstraZenca so far has been a fail verus South African B.1.351

AstraZeneca Vaccine Fails To Protect Against The South African Variant, Says Study

https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/03/17/astrazeneca-vaccine-fails-to-protect-against-the-south-african-variant/?sh=7539a7be6526

Two doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine were found to have only a 10.4% efficacy against mild-to-moderate infections caused by the B.1.351 South Africa variant, according to a phase 1b-2 clinical trial published on Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. This is a cause for grave concern as the South African variants share similar mutations to the other variants leaving those vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine potentially exposed to multiple variants. This new finding should force a rapid acceleration of second-generation vaccines and encourage further research into the possibility of a pancoronavirus vaccine.

The trial evaluated the safety and the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine in HIV-negative adults aged between 18 to 64 years old with a median age of 30 years old. The trial was conducted between June 24 and November 9, 2020 in South Africa using a multisite, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled approach. Out of the trial’s 750 vaccine recipients, 19 (2.5%) developed mild to moderate COVID-19 more than 14 days after the second dose, compared with 23 of 717 placebo recipients (3.2%). Of the 42 total cases of Covid-19, 39 (93%) were caused by the B.1.351 South Africa variant. These results demonstrated that the AstraZeneca vaccine was only 10.4% effective against the B.1.351 South Africa variant. It is important to note that there were still no cases of hospitalization for severe Covid-19 or deaths observed in the study. Yet the authors did caution that the relatively young median age of participants (30 years) likely influenced the lack of severe Covid-19 cases.

The South African B.1.351 shares similar mutations with several other variants. Mutations to positions 417 (K417N), 484 (E484K), and 501 (N501Y) are all located in the receptor-binding domain. This structure is the part of the spike protein that attaches to the ACE2 receptor of the human cell. The K417N and E484K mutations have been seen in the Brazilian and Japanese variants, and N501Y has additionally been seen in the UK variant.

External to the spike protein, there are a set of three deletions in non-structural protein six which also appear in the Brazilian, Japanese, UK, Nigerian, and New York variants. NSP6 is a structural transmembrane protein and these deletions additionally may assist in neutralization escape. NSP2 also carries a common mutation: T85I. This mutation appears in the California variant, the New York variant, and a number of other US variants. While NSP2 has no known function, the pervasiveness of the mutation is notable at the very least. In NSP12, mutation P323L is pervasive in nearly every variant. This protein is the polymerase, which controls viral replication. While it may not aid immune-escape, this mutation certainly aids increased transmissibility of the South African variant and others.

snip

[intrepidity]

3. You mean the P1/P2 variants?

Best not to use geographical references these days.

[Hugin]

8. +1

No kidding.

Like the damn hurricanes.

Hasn't changed much from 1918.

[flamingdem]

4. From the author of that twitter comment and others on his thread:

I think you'll read that Pfizer / Moderna is only 60% effective.

Kind of concerning!

Also that those who've had Covid are more likely to suffer with P1 - as in their antibodies don't protect them.

[Voltaire2]

5. I got both shots and a full Brazilian.

[ornotna]

7. Smooth move

I would say you've got it covered. But then again, maybe not.

[Scrivener7]

10. Crap. I don't mind getting a vaccine, but I'm adamantly anti wax. Since I did it once and

still have PTSD.

[SheltieLover]

6. This article states 200% more transmissable & that it evades vaccines & antobodies

https://wreg.com/news/memphis-shelby-county-covid-19-joint-task-force-to-give-tuesday-update-2/

Snip

The P1 variant on the other hand is 200 percent more transmissible than the original and can create havoc in a community very quickly, said Dr. Manoj Jain, the infectious disease expert to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.

“It can create havoc very quickly as it’s done many cities in Brazil. There’s another trait to the P1, which is worrisome that it can evade the vaccine and if you had previous infection it can cause reinfection,” Dr. Jain said.

To make matters even more concerning, this variant has been shown to have the ability to evade the vaccine and can re-infect those who have been vaccinated as well as those who have had COVID before.

[Scrivener7]

11. I'm reading something a bit different. Pfizer is the best against it, but Moderna

and J and J give some protection against it, though less than the 90-something percent protection it gives against the original and British variants.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/pfizer-vaccine-may-be-effective-against-all-coronavirus-variants/
“Reassuringly, while the levels [for Moderna and J&J] were lower for the P1 and B151 variants, they were still substantial, and likely to indicate that the vaccine will be effective,” said Dr Peter English, consultant in communicable disease control, who was not involved in the research.

It seems that the antibodies that you get from having the original Covid give NO protection against the Brazil strain.

SO, since your article gives a dire warning, and mine gives a very qualified positive finding, my Moderna vaxxed self is going to be continuing to distance and mask and wash.

AND, hold onto your hats, because the new New York variant looks to be a monster and we know nothing about it yet.

[SheltieLover]

12. Ty!

There is now a NY variant?

[Scrivener7]

13. Yes. And it's apparently a bad one.

Apparently the monoclonal antibody treatment is totally ineffective against it. Which is frightening because it shows how the virus is one step ahead of us.

[SheltieLover]

14. ...

Ty for alerting me.