• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Health Conditions / COVID-19 / What scientists know about variants and Covid-19 vaccines

What scientists know about variants and Covid-19 vaccines

There is now real evidence that at least one coronavirus variant seems to elude some of the power of Covid-19 vaccines. What, exactly, that means for the pandemic is still being examined. The vaccines may turn out to be less powerful against the variant, but they still appear to protect people from the worst outcomes, like hospitalization or death. The loss in the intended results against the B.1.351 variant in clinical trials suggests to some experts that the immunity the shots deliver may not last as long against that form of the coronavirus. It is indicated that the vaccines won’t be as powerful in combatting  B.1.351 transmission, the way scientists hope the shots will be for other versions of the virus.

Experts say the disparate results could serve as a warning flag that the world needs to step up its current vaccination campaigns and expedite efforts to envision what Covid-19 vaccines 2.0 might look like.

 “It’s a huge relief to know that the vaccines still seem to protect against hospitalization and deaths,” said Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern. “The No. 1 thing at the moment is to try and reduce in any way the cost that this virus charges us as it spreads through societies. But it’s definitely true the loss in efficacy, it raises some worrying questions.”

 

Positive results

Questions about vaccines revolve around the bottom line of whether they “work” or not against the different forms of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. However that oversimplifies what clinical trials are measuring, what the vaccines might be able to do, and how much of this is a matter of degrees, rather than a definitive yes-or-no answer.

You May Also Like
15 Natural Remedies for Aches and Pains

The trials have generally been investigating whether the vaccines prevent symptomatic cases of Covid-19. But Covid-19 presents across a full spectrum, from asymptomatic infections to fatal ones, which is why some trials also include data specifically focused on the outcomes in which people are most interested: will it prevent severe disease and death.

In a way, the first clinical trial results from Moderna and the Pfizer and BioNTech team, which both showed the respective vaccines were 90% or more protective against symptomatic disease, spoiled us for what we could expect for immunizations still going through trials. The achievements went way beyond what experts had hoped Covid-19 vaccines could attack.

So when Johnson & Johnson reported last week that its vaccine was, on average, 66% efficacious at blocking moderate and severe disease — a figure that ticked up to 72% when just looking at U.S. participants — many researchers sought to remind people that this was a result worth celebrating. The vaccine was 85% effective against severe disease cases no matter the infectious variant, and all the deaths and hospitalizations in the trial occurred among people who got the placebo, not the vaccine.

“People look at 72% and say well that’s not as good as 90%, but the fact is, if you look at serious disease, it was extremely effective in preventing serious disease, including hospitalizations and deaths,” Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters this week.

You May Also Like
Bacon and other meats May Increase Your Risk for This Lung Disease

Average results

Clinical trial data released last week for the J&J shot and another from Novavax showed the vaccines did not fare as well in South Africa, where the B.1.351 variant first emerged. The efficacy of the J&J shot against moderate or worse Covid-19 fell to 57% in South Africa, while Novavax reported its vaccine was 49% effective in South Africa at preventing symptomatic Covid-19.  

Some experts said the results indicated the vaccines might be less powerful against the variant B.1.351 in other ways, too.

Clinical trials have not shown whether any of the existing vaccines can slow the spread of any version of SARS-2, but many experts think the shots will offer some help in that arena, whether because they prevent some infections entirely, or because they make people who still contract the virus less contagious for a shorter time, or some combination of factors.

Continue Reading

The Latest In COVID-19

long COVID

Black People Are At Triple The Risk Of This Long COVID-19 Symptom

As everyone continues to deal with COVID-19 on a global scale, one complication that took people by surprise was the emergence of a post-COVID-19 condition or long COVID. There are a few symptoms that many people have in common but read more about Black People Are At Triple The Risk Of This Long COVID-19 Symptom
COVID testing

COVID Testing Requirement Lifted for Travelers Flying to the U.S.

If you plan on flying internationally anytime soon, your trip may be a little less stressful. A requirement for all international travelers flying to the United States to take a COVID-19 test within a day of departure has been lifted. read more about COVID Testing Requirement Lifted for Travelers Flying to the U.S.
COVID and diabetes

People With Diabetes 4 Times More Prone to Long COVID

Diabetes increases the odds that a COVID-19 infection will be severe, and people with diabetes may be up to four times more likely to develop long-lasting symptoms, new research suggests. "Though more data is needed, some early studies suggest that read more about People With Diabetes 4 Times More Prone to Long COVID
Omicron

A Guide to Help You Keep Up With the Omicron Subvariants

Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, Americans can be forgiven if they’ve lost track of the latest variants circulating nationally and around the world. We’ve heard of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron variants, but a new Greek-letter variant read more about A Guide to Help You Keep Up With the Omicron Subvariants
Pfizer booster shot

FDA Authorizes Pfizer Booster Shot for Kids Ages 5 to 11

A single dose of the Pfizer booster shot can be given to 5- to 11-year-olds, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today. The third shot can be given at least five months after healthy kids complete the two-dose vaccine read more about FDA Authorizes Pfizer Booster Shot for Kids Ages 5 to 11
rapid COVID tests

Biden Administration Offering 8 Additional Free COVID Tests

The White House has officially begun a third round of free rapid COVID-19 tests for Americans to order directly to their homes. This news comes as the Biden administration continues to urge Congress to pass additional pandemic funding. Each U.S. read more about Biden Administration Offering 8 Additional Free COVID Tests

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Marjorie Harvey: Fit, Fine & 57!Marjorie Harvey: Fit, Fine & 57!
  • Snoop Dogg & Wife: 26 Years And Still Going StrongSnoop Dogg & Wife: 26 Years And Still Going Strong
  • Halle Berry: Over 50 ‘Just Keeps Getting Better With Time’Halle Berry: Over 50 'Just Keeps Getting Better With Time'
  • LL Cool J & Wife Simone Smith Celebrate 25 Years Married: “We Celebrate Life”LL Cool J & Wife Simone Smith Celebrate 25 Years Married: "We Celebrate Life"
  • Queen Latifah Sheds Light on BMI Chart Flaws: “I’m Just Thick”Queen Latifah Sheds Light on BMI Chart Flaws: "I'm Just Thick"

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2022, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.