The two vaccines against Covid-19, at the moment, "are effective against mutations of both the South African variant and the English variant" of Covid-19.
But "we have to be careful because the situation is evolving. The South African variant is more problematic".
This was stated by Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during the Davos Agenda 2021. "It is an evolving situation - said Fauci - we are already studying an updated version of the vaccines that could face both the South African variant than English ".
The hypothesis of delaying the injection of the second dose of Covid-19 vaccines, considered by some to widen the audience of vaccinated people, "raises concern. There is no full effect until the second dose is injected, and if you allow less than optimal efficacy, you risk selecting new mutations. It might not happen, but it's risky, "he added.
Fauci explained that the variants - to which he prefers not to attribute a 'nationality' given the stigma associated with them - "must be taken seriously" and that the "English" variant "has the inherent ability to aggravate the disease".
But even more attention should be paid to the impact of the variants on the efficacy of the two vaccines currently in distribution, and of monoclonal antibodies.
The 'English variant - explained the US expert - does not seem to have a significant impact "in this sense".
The 'South African' variant "is a bit more problematic: numerous studies show that some monoclonal antibodies are completely ineffective against mutations. And there appears to be a much higher threat to vaccine efficacy, albeit a buffer effect. 'of their efficacy is strong enough to say that vaccines are effective against both variants. "
"That said - continued Fauci during one of the panels of the World Economic Forum - this is an evolving situation. We are already trying to develop improved versions of vaccines capable of dealing with both the South African and the English variant. And therefore even if in this when vaccines work against them, we need to be prepared for an upgrade, in the form of a post-vaccination 'boost' or a bivalent vaccine. "