British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc told Reuters on Tuesday its COVID-19 vaccine should be effective against the new coronavirus variant, adding that studies were underway to fully probe the impact of the mutation.
“AZD1222 (AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate) contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein, and the changes to the genetic code seen in this new viral strain do not appear to change the structure of the spike protein,” an AstraZeneca representative said in an email.
Drugmakers are scrambling to test their COVID-19 vaccines against the new fast-spreading variant of the virus that is raging in Britain, the latest challenge in the breakneck race to curb th…
Keep on reading: AstraZeneca says its vaccine should be effective vs new coronavirus variant