Covid vaccines may need updating to protect against new variant, study suggests

Neutralising ability of antibodies typically falls eight-fold with South African variant

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Coronavirus vaccines may need to be redesigned this year to boost protection against a new variant that emerged rapidly in South Africa, research suggests, while past Covid sufferers may not be protected against reinfection.

Research by South African government scientists reveals that mutations of the new variant, known as 501Y.v2 or B1351, make the variant substantially resistant to antibodies in blood plasma donated by Covid patients.