Moderna, chief medical officer for a vaccine manufacturer, Tal Sachs, expressed optimism about the vaccine’s effectiveness against the new strain. The French newspaper “Le Monde” quoted the company as saying: “First, the vaccine consists of dozens of antibodies not of one type, in addition to our reliance on bioinformatics in the manufacture of genetic DNA, and this means that it will prove effective on the South African and British strains.”

In turn, the company “Pfizer” clarified that “its vaccine depends on the spike protein, which contains about 1275 amino acids, at a time when the new strains do not form ten of them,” stressing that “the vaccine includes the amino acid number 501, which is found in the British and African strains. “. The confirmation of the two companies comes after serious concerns about the ineffectiveness of vaccines with the new strain of Corona virus, especially the “South Africa” ​​strain.

Early data revealed that antibodies against the Coronavirus may not work well against the new strain identified in South Africa. Experts noted that the strain had accumulated a large number of mutations in the spiky protein, which is a tapered structure that adheres to the surface of the virus and attaches to human cells to cause infection. The Israeli Ministry of Health warned members of the Knesset that “the South African strain is a cause for concern, as it causes severe symptoms even in young people.”

The acting head of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Health, Sharon Allroy Press, cited a “worrying” preliminary study indicating that vaccination provides less protection against the South African variant, but stressed that it was not clear the effect of the vaccines on the new strain. “We are dealing with rapid variables that could jeopardize the effectiveness of the vaccine,” Bryce said, speaking to lawmakers, despite statements by officials in vaccine companies that their products are effective against the new strains discovered in Britain and South Africa.

What is the new strain? All viruses usually mutate, including the virus that causes “Covid-19”. These small genetic changes happen when the virus makes new copies of itself to spread and grow. Some of these changes may make the virus more hostile, threatening human lives. There are now several thousand different variants of the circulating pandemic virus. But experts ’concerns focus on a small number of them. And one of the strains resulting from the virus changes is the South African strain called “501. in 2”. The scientists tested the US Pfizer vaccine against a mutation in the South African strain, called “N501Y,” using blood samples from 20 people. In that initial study, the vaccination appeared to work against the mutated virus.

Dr. Simon Clark, an expert in cytology at the University of Reading, said, “The South African alternative contains a number of additional mutations, including changes in the (spike) protein, which is a cause for concern.” And the “spike” protein is what the Corona virus uses to enter human cells. It is also the part around which vaccines are designed, which is why experts are concerned about these special mutations.