Studies: Vaccine works against mutated coronaviruses

Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot largely prevents serious illness from the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, and the B.1.351 strain, originally found in South Africa, two new studies found.

How well does it work? The analyses of COVID-19 data, conducted in Israel and Qatar, showed the vaccine to be 87 to 89 percent effective at blocking infection from the U.K. variant of the coronavirus. It was 72 to 75 percent effective against the South African strain. And overall, it prevented severe illness 97 percent of the time. 

Dig deeper: Read John Dawson’s report in Beginnings about the emergence of the U.K. strain of the coronavirus.