Dominant variant in SA may offer path to better vaccines

Antibodies generated in response to the new coronavirus variant dominating transmission in SA appear to provide protection against infection with several other strains, a discovery that could pave the way for better vaccines, SA scientists announced on Wednesday.

The 501Y.V2 variant was detected by scientists from the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) late last year, and now accounts for virtually all infections in SA. It was classed as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, because it spreads more easily and can infect more people than the original Sars-Cov-2 virus. It has now been detected in 48 countries...