Covid Vaccines Might Not Work as Well on New Sars-Cov-2 Variants

Covid Vaccines Might Not Work as Well on New Sars-Cov-2 Variants
Syringes with a COVID-19 vaccine are pictured in Central Falls, R.I., in a file photograph. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
Updated:

Three new, fast-spreading variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 can evade antibodies that work against the original form that sparked the pandemic, new research shows.

With few exceptions, whether the antibodies were produced in response to vaccination or natural infection, or were purified antibodies intended for use as drugs, researchers found they needed more antibody to neutralize the new variants.