AstraZeneca vaccine works against UK coronavirus variant: study

The AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine protects against a more transmissible variant of the virus first identified in the United Kingdom, according to research published Friday.

The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that the vaccine is 74.6 percent effective against the variant, “similar” but somewhat lower than the 84 percent effectiveness against the non-variant strain.

The effectiveness of a range of vaccines against the U.K. variant, also known as B.1.1.7, has been reassuring, though experts are more concerned about at least some drop in effectiveness rates against a different variant first found in South Africa.

“Data from our trials of the ChAdOx1 vaccine in the United Kingdom indicate that the vaccine not only protects against the original pandemic virus, but also protects against the novel variant, B.1.1.7, which caused the surge in disease from the end of 2020 across the UK,” said Andrew Pollard, an Oxford professor working on the vaccine. 

Even though vaccines appear to be effective against it, the U.K. variant still poses a risk of causing a spike in the coming weeks in the U.S. given its transmissibility, because many Americans are not yet vaccinated.

The Oxford researchers said they are working with AstraZeneca to prepare to update the vaccine to fight new variants if necessary, as are other companies working on vaccines.

“We are working with AstraZeneca to optimize the pipeline required for a strain change should one become necessary,” said Sarah Gilbert, another Oxford researcher. “This is the same issue that is faced by all of the vaccine developers, and we will continue to monitor the emergence of new variants that arise in readiness for a future strain change.”

Peter Marks, a top Food and Drug Administration official, said last week that the agency is working on a “streamlined” process for authorizing updated vaccines against new variants, if necessary.

“We would intend to try to be pretty nimble with this,” Marks said during a webinar hosted by the American Medical Association.