Pfizer vaccine neutralised UK, Brazil and South Africa variants in lab

While the research needs to be validated with real-world data, it offers another reason for optimism that the Covid vaccines are generally performing well against variants of the virus

The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE showed a high ability to neutralize coronavirus strains first detected in Brazil, the UK and South Africa, according to a new study.
 

In lab experiments, the shot demonstrated “roughly equivalent” levels of neutralizing activity against the Brazil and UK strains compared with a version of the virus from early last year. It also showed “robust but lower” activity against the South Africa variant, according to a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine.
 

While the research needs to be validated with real-world data, it offers another reason for optimism that