VACCINES STILL EFFECTIVE
A report released by The Lancet on June 3 showed that the titers of neutralizing antibodies against the Delta strain were reduced after one vaccine dose. However, many health experts said the vaccines are still effective in preventing severe illnesses and reducing deaths.
Recent data published by PHE showed the AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 percent effective against hospitalization from the Delta variant after two doses, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96 percent effective against hospitalization after two doses.
Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd. also conducted research on the Delta variant. "What we found is that the current vaccines can neutralize these variants ... Inactivated vaccines have good neutralizing effect," said Yin Weidong, CEO of the company.
"Through the industrial layout of our research in COVID-19 vaccine and the completed clinical research, the efficiency of vaccine research in mutant strains will be greatly improved," Yin said. "Once the virus mutates, we can quickly produce a vaccine with the mutated strain."
The WHO validated the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech for emergency use on June 1. China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine was also validated for WHO emergency use earlier this year. The two Chinese vaccines are expected to help alleviate the inequity in access to vaccines.
The world desperately needs multiple COVID-19 vaccines to address the huge inequity in access across the globe, said Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products.
"The only way to stop the virus from mutating is through vaccination," Vineeta Bal, an immunologist and professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, told Indian local media. "Prevention is the only weapon in our hand."
