Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine neutralises Brazilian strain in labs

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is said to have a high ability to neutralise the new Brazilian variant

After it was discovered that a new variant of the Covid-19 disease was found in Brazil and contracted by a person returning home to the UK, the familiar sense of anxiety amongst government officials and the British public alike began to simmer once again. Fortunately, the previously unidentified individual was located sometime last week in Croydon, after using the NHS's test and trace system. Both the NHS and Public Health England are now closely monitoring the P1 variant and it would seem that while caution remains, the mutation is not as problematic as initially feared. As per Bloomberg, initial tests show that the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine is "roughly equivalent" to that shown against the original strain, as well as showing sufficient and "robust" reactions to the South African strain. The research was carried out at the University of Texas and tested on people who had received their second shot of either vaccine in the last two-four weeks. It also believed that the AstraZeneca vaccine - shipments of which had recently been blocked between Italy and Australia - offers a level of protection against the Brazilian variant, although the extent to which is still unclear. It has also been trialled against the South African variant too, however, it's potency wasn't believed to be as strong. Regardless, it is a huge relief to hear that while the swathe of new variants that continue to be found are not yet under complete control, the vaccines designed to fight the original virus are still working.