COVID-19 Vaccines Might Be Changed to Fight New Versions of Virus
2021-02-22
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1The makers of coronavirus vaccines are learning how to change their vaccines to deal with virus mutations.
2Experts are looking to influenza, or flu, vaccines to help them understand if and when the shots may need to be changed.
3Richard Webby directs a World Health Organization (WHO) flu center from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Virginia.
4He said that the process will not happen quickly.
5"It's not really something you can sort of flip a switch, do overnight," Webby said.
6Viruses mutate, or change, often.
7Recent studies have raised concerns that first-generation COVID-19 vaccines are not as effective against a coronavirus mutation that first appeared in South Africa.
8However, many of the COVID-19 vaccines are made with new technology that permits changes.
9But it will still be difficult for experts to decide whether the virus has mutated enough to make it necessary to change the vaccines.
10The WHO and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are looking to the worldwide flu vaccine system for help.
11Influenza mutates much faster than the coronavirus.
12Flu shots have to be changed nearly every year.
13National centers around the world collect spreading flu viruses and observe how they change over time.
14They send samples to special WHO laboratories for high-level "antigenic" testing to decide on vaccine strength.
15WHO experts and government rule-makers work together to agree on each year's new vaccine recipe.
16Manufacturers then make the necessary changes.
17For COVID-19 vaccines, Webby said an important step will be establishing a similar observation and testing network.
18It can then decide on which mutations are most worrisome.
19Today, there are wide differences in how nations track and test mutated versions.
20For example, Britain does more testing of the changing viral genome than the United States does.
21Three variants first discovered in Britain, South Africa and Brazil are worrisome because of combinations of mutations that make them spread more easily and quickly.
22On Sunday, U.S. researchers reported another mutation found in seven variants that have appeared in several U.S. states.
23Researchers do not yet know if this mutation makes the virus easier to spread.
24Just because a variant spreads more easily does not mean it will be resistant to a vaccine.
25But the variant first identified in South Africa is raising concerns.
26Columbia University's David Ho put blood samples from people given the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines into small containers with the mutated virus.
27He found that vaccine-produced antibodies still offered protection, but the protection was much less strong.
28Early test results of two other vaccine candidates - from Novavax and Johnson & Johnson - supported Ho's findings.
29Both still offered protection.
30However, that protection was weaker in South Africa than in other places.
31A much smaller test of the AstraZeneca vaccine in South Africa has raised questions about its effectiveness.
32Several of the approved and available COVID-19 vaccines require two shots for full effectiveness.
33The drugmaker Moderna is about to explore one possible solution:
34Could a third shot of its vaccine raise immunity enough to fight off some variants?
35Ho said it is a good idea to test, because people may "still have plenty of cushion" if their antibody levels are very high.
36Major manufacturers also are developing experimental variant vaccines as an extra measure.
37COVID-19 vaccines produce antibodies that recognize the spike protein that covers the coronavirus.
38When the virus mutates, sometimes the spike protein is changed in ways that make it harder for vaccine-produced antibodies to recognize.
39The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are made with a piece of genetic information called messenger RNA (mRNA).
40It tells the body how to make some harmless copies of the spike protein that train disease-fighting cells.
41To change the vaccine, the drugmakers can simply change the first version of genetic information with mRNA for the mutated spike protein.
42The AstraZeneca vaccine and the one made by Johnson & Johnson are expected to be available in the United States soon.
43Both are made with cold viruses engineered to introduce a spike protein gene into the body.
44Making changes to these two vaccines requires growing cold viruses with the mutated gene.
45The process is a little more complex than the mRNA process.
46But it is still not as difficult as remaking traditional flu shots.
47First-generation COVID-19 vaccines were tested in tens of thousands of people to be sure they work and are safe.
48 The research took many months.
49Simply changing the recipe to better target virus mutations will not require repeating those studies in thousands of people, said Dr. Peter Marks.
50He is the vaccine chief with the FDA.
51He recently told the American Medical Association that the FDA plans to be "pretty nimble" when it comes to approving vaccine changes.
52In other words, it will act quickly.
53If an updated vaccine is needed, he said, tests in a few hundred people would likely be enough to know if it causes a good immune reaction.
54I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm John Russell.
1The makers of coronavirus vaccines are learning how to change their vaccines to deal with virus mutations. Experts are looking to influenza, or flu, vaccines to help them understand if and when the shots may need to be changed. 2Richard Webby directs a World Health Organization (WHO) flu center from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Virginia. He said that the process will not happen quickly. 3"It's not really something you can sort of flip a switch, do overnight," Webby said. 4Viruses mutate, or change, often. Recent studies have raised concerns that first-generation COVID-19 vaccines are not as effective against a coronavirus mutation that first appeared in South Africa. However, many of the COVID-19 vaccines are made with new technology that permits changes. But it will still be difficult for experts to decide whether the virus has mutated enough to make it necessary to change the vaccines. 5Flu offers a model 6The WHO and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are looking to the worldwide flu vaccine system for help. Influenza mutates much faster than the coronavirus. Flu shots have to be changed nearly every year. 7National centers around the world collect spreading flu viruses and observe how they change over time. They send samples to special WHO laboratories for high-level "antigenic" testing to decide on vaccine strength. WHO experts and government rule-makers work together to agree on each year's new vaccine recipe. Manufacturers then make the necessary changes. 8For COVID-19 vaccines, Webby said an important step will be establishing a similar observation and testing network. It can then decide on which mutations are most worrisome. Today, there are wide differences in how nations track and test mutated versions. For example, Britain does more testing of the changing viral genome than the United States does. 9Three variants first discovered in Britain, South Africa and Brazil are worrisome because of combinations of mutations that make them spread more easily and quickly. 10On Sunday, U.S. researchers reported another mutation found in seven variants that have appeared in several U.S. states. Researchers do not yet know if this mutation makes the virus easier to spread. 11Current COVID-19 vaccines and variants 12Just because a variant spreads more easily does not mean it will be resistant to a vaccine. But the variant first identified in South Africa is raising concerns. 13Columbia University's David Ho put blood samples from people given the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines into small containers with the mutated virus. He found that vaccine-produced antibodies still offered protection, but the protection was much less strong. 14Early test results of two other vaccine candidates - from Novavax and Johnson & Johnson - supported Ho's findings. Both still offered protection. However, that protection was weaker in South Africa than in other places. A much smaller test of the AstraZeneca vaccine in South Africa has raised questions about its effectiveness. 15Several of the approved and available COVID-19 vaccines require two shots for full effectiveness. The drugmaker Moderna is about to explore one possible solution: Could a third shot of its vaccine raise immunity enough to fight off some variants? 16Ho said it is a good idea to test, because people may "still have plenty of cushion" if their antibody levels are very high. 17Changing the recipe 18Major manufacturers also are developing experimental variant vaccines as an extra measure. 19COVID-19 vaccines produce antibodies that recognize the spike protein that covers the coronavirus. When the virus mutates, sometimes the spike protein is changed in ways that make it harder for vaccine-produced antibodies to recognize. 20The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are made with a piece of genetic information called messenger RNA (mRNA). It tells the body how to make some harmless copies of the spike protein that train disease-fighting cells. To change the vaccine, the drugmakers can simply change the first version of genetic information with mRNA for the mutated spike protein. 21The AstraZeneca vaccine and the one made by Johnson & Johnson are expected to be available in the United States soon. Both are made with cold viruses engineered to introduce a spike protein gene into the body. Making changes to these two vaccines requires growing cold viruses with the mutated gene. The process is a little more complex than the mRNA process. But it is still not as difficult as remaking traditional flu shots. 22Testing vaccines, round two 23First-generation COVID-19 vaccines were tested in tens of thousands of people to be sure they work and are safe. The research took many months. 24Simply changing the recipe to better target virus mutations will not require repeating those studies in thousands of people, said Dr. Peter Marks. He is the vaccine chief with the FDA. He recently told the American Medical Association that the FDA plans to be "pretty nimble" when it comes to approving vaccine changes. In other words, it will act quickly. 25If an updated vaccine is needed, he said, tests in a few hundred people would likely be enough to know if it causes a good immune reaction. 26I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm John Russell. 27Lauran Neergaard reported this story for the Associated Press. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 28We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 29______________________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31mutation -n. a change in the genes of a plant or animal that causes a different quality to be recognized 32flip a switch -idiom to easily and quickly make a change 33sample -n. a small amount of something that is used to give information about what it was taken from 34recipe -n. a set of directions for making food 35track -v. to follow and observe, especially in an effort to find evidence 36genome -n. the total amount of genetic information in the chromosomes of an organism 37variant -n. something that is different in some way from others of the same kind 38cushion -n. something extra that can reduce bad effects or problems 39spike -n. a sharp, thin structure that sticks out from something