--- title: "Pfizer Says Its COVID Vaccine Is Effective Against New Strains" description: "According to a preliminary lab test conducted by Pfizer, their COVID vaccine is effective against new highly transmissible variants of the virus." date: "2021-01-08" modified: "2021-01-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/pfizer-vaccine-effective-against-new-strains" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Viruses" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "pfizer" - "vaccine" --- # Pfizer Says Its COVID Vaccine Is Effective Against New Strains ![According to a preliminary lab test conducted by Pfizer, their COVID vaccine is effective against new highly transmissible variants of the virus.]() *\Image: Anna Shvets via Pexels\* The COVID vaccine manufactured by pharmaceuticals Pfizer and BioNTech appears to be effective against new highly transmissible strains of the coronavirus found in the UK and South Africa, according to a preliminary lab test conducted by Pfizer, [*Reuters* reports](). The [study](), uploaded to the preprint archive *biorXiv*, found that the vaccine was able to neutralize both the N501 and Y501 mutations of the SARS-Cov-2 virus based on a trial involving 20 participants who previously were part of vaccine trials. That's very good news, because these new variants have played a part in [sky-rocketing recent cases of the coronavirus](). The results, however, still have to go through the regular peer-review process before we can say for sure. The mutations affecting the coronavirus' spike protein, the part that allows it to enter human cells, were found in two new strains appearing in the UK and South Africa respectively. These new mutations have experts worried as they appear to spread significantly faster than previous versions of the virus. The UK variant alone, referred to as B117, has since [spread across most of the globe](). Pfizer also tested the vaccine against a wide range of other mutations. "So we've now tested 16 different mutations, and none of them have really had any significant impact. That's the good news," Phil Dormitzer, one of Pfizer's top viral vaccine scientists, told *Reuters*. "That doesn't mean that the 17th won't." Scientists are now testing the vaccine against other mutations that are also found in the British and South African variants. "So, yes this is good news, but it does not yet give us total confidence that the Pfizer (or other) vaccines will definitely give protection," Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told *Reuters*. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()