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How well do vaccines protect against the Delta variant? - Corona study provides new information

2021-07-12T13:01:37.634Z


The delta variant of the coronavirus is causing an increasing number of cases and renewed restrictions. The crucial question: How does the mutant react to the vaccines? A new study provides answers.


The delta variant of the coronavirus is causing an increasing number of cases and renewed restrictions.

The crucial question: How does the mutant react to the vaccines?

A new study provides answers.

Berlin / Munich - The coronavirus is changing, mutations are causing increasing numbers of cases in the course of the pandemic, new waves of viruses.

The Delta version in particular is a cause for concern.

New infections are increasing in many places.

For example in Israel, the country that, as the “vaccination world champion”, has a high vaccination rate.

The mutation is considered to be significantly more contagious than previous variants.

It shows several changes in what is known as the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells.

The delta variant now also dominates the infection process in Germany.

The big question: How dangerous is the variant for first-time vaccinated people?

Corona study: How well does a vaccine dose against the Delta variant work?

A study in the journal "Nature", published on July 8, 2021, provided new insights into the effectiveness of vaccines.

According to this, the mutation seems to partially escape antibodies from first-vaccinated and unvaccinated convalescents in laboratory tests.

In the experiments, the antibodies formed after a single dose of Biontech / Pifzer and Astrazeneca were hardly able to bind to the Delta variant and render it harmless, reported the researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Both vaccines would only have caused an efficient reaction against Delta after the second vaccination dose, namely in 95 percent of the people (after one dose: ten percent).

According to the study, antibodies in blood samples from unvaccinated convalescents are less able to bind to Delta than the previously predominant variant alpha. The researchers analyzed samples from those who had recovered who had already received a corona vaccination. In response, they wrote that the results strongly suggested that such a booster would most likely protect convalescents against a variety of circulating strains of the virus - including Delta.

However, results from such laboratory experiments cannot be directly transferred to vaccination protection in practice.

As the authors of the study write, the examined levels of so-called neutralizing antibodies would, however, be considered a strong indication of immune protection against symptomatic corona infections.

The human immune system not only defends itself against pathogens with antibodies, there is also cellular immunity.

Corona study: Delta variant resistant to antibody preparations

As the researchers further reported, the Delta variant of the virus is resistant to some of the antibody preparations made in the laboratory, including bamlanivimab. Such therapies are used in some places in high-risk patients at the beginning of the infection in order to avert a severe course of Covid-19. At least in Germany, however, they are not yet widely used. In this country, the corona incidence has increased for the sixth day in a row.

(mbr / dpa)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-07-12

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