Emerging changes of the virus that cause Covid-19 have raised concerns that the vaccines developed so far will not provide the high level of protection seen in clinical trials. Anxious changes have been identified in California, South Africa, Brazil and the UK.
But not all variants require a new vaccine, as vaccines produce a broad immune response that can cover many mutations. Here’s what needs to be done to determine if a vaccine needs to be converted, and how it should be tweaked.
Assurance To address a new variable, you must first find it. Vigilance is crucial, so scientists must always be vigilant and engage in international cooperation, as they do for the flu virus. Approved vaccine manufacturers – including Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford / AstraZeneca – are looking at ways to improve their vaccines so that they are ready for any variation.
Comparison Once a variety of concerns have been identified, scientists need to determine whether the effectiveness of routine vaccines has been significantly reduced. Regarding the variant found in the UK, scientists were confident that the vaccines already available worked well, but for the one found in South Africa the such confident data.
Modification If vaccine printing is required, the technology used in the vaccine will determine how quickly and easily they can be modified. For example, the mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna are much easier to tweak than traditional vaccine technologies.
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Production BioNTech has stated that it can produce a new vaccine within six weeks of a decision being made. But the Oxford / AstraZeneca team, which uses more traditional viral vector technology, says that while it may take a new form in days, it will take much longer to produce. A vaccine designed to deal with the variant found in South Africa is expected to be ready before harvest.
Tests It is not clear how extensive modified vaccine testing needs to be. For flu vaccines, regulators do not need large trials but are instead satisfied with smaller studies to show that they work in addition to the original vaccine. This is probably what would be expected from Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers.
Aonta The new vaccine must be approved by regulators. In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said it is in talks with vaccine manufacturers about the licensing process for new injections. “We can say at this stage that a new licensing process is unlikely to be required,” a spokesman said last month. “No vaccine will be authorized for supply in the UK unless the expected standards of safety, quality and efficiency. “