Delta variant eight times less sensitive to neutralizing antibodies from vaccines in a lab setting: study – CTV
September 6, 2021
TORONTO — The Delta variant may have taken over as quickly as it did not only because of an increased infectivity, but because it is less affected by neutralizing antibodies produced by prior infection with COVID-19 or produced by vaccines, according to a new study that looked at the variant in a lab setting.
In the study, compared to the original strain of the virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, the Delta variant was found to be six times less sensitive to neutralizing antibodies from those who had recovered from COVID-19, and eight times less sensitive to antibodies produced in response to two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccines.
The COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be highly effective at preventing death and serious illness even in the rare case of a vaccinated person contracting the virus. And in a recent U.K. study, out of more than 950,000 people who had received two shots, only 0.2 per cent had a breakthrough infection afterwards. But with the Delta variant on the rise, studying how it works helps us identify the best safety measures moving forward.
