Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Will Approved Vaccines Protect Against New Coronavirus Mutation?
CNN: Pfizer And Moderna Test Vaccines Against UK Coronavirus Variant
Pfizer and Moderna are testing their coronavirus vaccines to see if they work against the new mutated version of the virus that's recently been found in the United Kingdom and other countries, according to company statements. "Based on the data to date, we expect that the Moderna vaccine-induced immunity would be protective against the variants recently described in the UK; we will be performing additional tests in the coming weeks to confirm this expectation," according to the Moderna statement. (Levenson and Cohen, 12/22)
AP: BioNTech CEO Confident Vaccine Will Work On UK Variant
German pharmaceutical company BioNTech is confident that its coronavirus vaccine works against the new UK variant, but further studies are need to be completely sure, its chief executive said Tuesday. The variant, detected mainly in London and the southeast of England in recent weeks, has sparked concern worldwide because of signs that it may spread more easily. While there is no indication it causes more serious illness, numerous countries in Europe and beyond have restricted travel from the UK as a result. (12/22)
The Washington Post: BioNTech Can Create Vaccine For New Variant In Six Weeks If Needed, CEO Says
BioNTech said Tuesday that its coronavirus vaccine will likely be effective against the new variant identified in Britain, but that a new version could be developed within six weeks if necessary. Whether regulators would be willing to quickly approve a slightly-modified version of the vaccine that has been cleared for distribution in the United States, Britain and European Union is another story, CEO Ugur Sahin told reporters at a news conference. But from a technical perspective, tweaking the vaccine co-developed with Pfizer would simply be a matter of replacing one mutation with another while the “messenger” molecule remains the same. (Noori Farzan, 12/22)
Health experts advise people not to overreact —
The Hill: White House Testing Czar: Coronavirus Vaccines 'Effective' Against New Strains
Vaccines are effective against many variants of the coronavirus, and the public shouldn't be worried about it "mutating," the Trump administration's top testing official said Monday." We have every reason to believe that the vaccine will be effective against any variant that we've seen, including the new variant in the U.K.,” Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir said on CNN's "New Day." (Weixel, 12/21)
The Hill: Fauci Warns Against 'Overreacting' To New Strain, Advises Against Banning UK Flights
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Monday that he would not recommend suspending flights from the United Kingdom over a more infectious coronavirus strain detected in southern England. The U.S. should “without a doubt keep an eye on it,” but “we don’t want to overreact,” Fauci told CNN. (Budryk, 12/21)
The Hill: Warp Speed Official: 'No Hard Evidence' New Coronavirus Strain Is More Transmissible
There is no "hard evidence" that a new coronavirus variant found in the United Kingdom is more transmissible or more infectious, a top Operation Warp Speed official said Monday. Moncef Slaoui, chief science adviser for the initiative, told reporters that conclusive laboratory studies of the new variant will take at least several weeks. (Weixel, 12/21)
What do we know about the mutation? —
CNN: UK Coronavirus Variant: What We Know And What We Don't
The United Kingdom has identified a new, potentially more contagious coronavirus variant linked to a recent surge in cases in England. The new variant is being called VUI-202012/01 -- the first "Variant Under Investigation" in the UK in December 2020. While scientists hunt for more information about the variant, its impact is already being felt. (Rahim, 12/21)
The New York Times: The New Covid Strain In The UK: Questions And Answers
It’s just one variation among many that have arisen as the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has spread around the world. Mutations arise as the virus replicates, and this variant — known as B.1.1.7 — has acquired its own distinctive set of them. ... When researchers took a close look at its genome, they were struck by the relatively large number of mutations — 23, all told — that it had acquired. Most mutations that arise in the coronavirus are either harmful to the virus or have no effect one way or another. But a number of the mutations in B.1.1.7 looked as if they could potentially affect how the virus spread. (Zimmer and Carey, 12/21)
Bloomberg: Why The U.K.’s Mutated Coronavirus Is Fanning Worries
Dubbed the “B.1.1.7 lineage,” the strain has acquired 17 mutations compared to its most recent ancestor. That’s a faster rate of genetic change than scientists typically observe. Some of the changes are in key areas of the virus involved in its ability to infect cells. Preliminary analysis in the U.K. suggests it may be as much as 70% more transmissible than other circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains and may be contributing to a spike in cases in the country. Maria van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead on Covid-19, told the BBC on Dec. 20 that the WHO is working to understand the extent to which the virus may spread more easily, along with other human behavioral factors that may be driving transmission. It’s also looking at whether the mutation causes more severe illness and can evade the antibodies generated by vaccination. (Gale, 12/21)
Stat: The Big, Looming Questions About The New Variant Of The Coronavirus
A variant of the coronavirus that emerged in the United Kingdom has forced London to shut down, led some countries to ban travel to and from the U.K., and set off a global manhunt to find out where else this version has arrived. So what comes next? (Joseph, 12/21)
