The U.K. and South African COVID-19 variants continue to spread worldwide, sparking concerns about whether the vaccines that millions of people have already received will be effective after all. The Pfizer vaccine is one of the most available options, pushing many experts to explore a pressing question: does the Pfizer vaccine work against the variants?

According to a non-peer reviewed study published in early February, the answer is yes. The Pfizer vaccine works fairly effectively at fighting the new variants of COVID-19. 

The study found that the Pfizer vaccine’s first dose did not produce enough antibodies to neutralize the variants, but it did make enough T cells to fight them effectively. Helper T cells, a type of white blood cell, play a crucial role in fighting COVID-19, according to Medical News Today.

That means the Pfizer vaccine may not make your body immune to COVID-19 variants, but it will help your body fight and lead to fewer, milder cases. Following a vaccination, you will be more likely to experience mild flu-like symptoms rather than requiring hospitalization. 

William James, one of the study’s authors and a professor of virology at the University of Oxford, told the Guardian this may explain why patients experience stronger side effects after the second dose. 

“It may not necessarily protect you against infection, but it’s very likely that this first dose will make it much easier for your immune system to make a good response the next time around,” James said. “We think this is why that second dose produces such a good strong antibody response, because the T cells are already there, ready to react.”

The study also found that people receive a boost in antibodies from the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, making it more critical than ever to get both doses. 

“In more than 90% of cases, the antibodies that people are generating after the second dose are up at the sort of level that neutralizes the virus and which we would expect to protect them from infection,” James told the Guardian. “We’re pretty confident that they’ll be protected from infection by the South African strain and the Kent strain, as well as the [original] strain of the virus.” 

Despite his study only incorporating the Pfizer vaccine, James said he suspects its findings apply to the other vaccines. That backs up a January statement from Moderna claiming the vaccine effectively fought the variants. 

Experts still believe the AstraZeneca vaccine is not effective enough at fighting the South African variant of the virus. After experts discovered the vaccine did not have a high enough efficacy against the South African variant, they halted its distribution in the region.  

The Pfizer news comes as a particular relief for the United States, where scientists predicted the U.K. strain would become the predominant variant by March 2021.

Read more on the coronavirus vaccine:

• Will COVID vaccines be mandatory for you to go on cruises?
• These companies are actually paying their employees to get the COVID vaccine
• An ER doc takes us inside her COVID-19 vaccination experience—and assuages our fears
• How companies have turned to blockchain to respond to the COVID ‘data crisis’
• If you have these COVID vaccine side effects, Fauci says it’s actually good news
• All 5 COVID vaccines are even more effective at preventing deaths than we thought
• Could the COVID-19 vaccine shot eventually be replaced by a pill?
• Does the Moderna vaccine work against the new COVID-19 variants?
• Will the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be as effective as Pfizer and Moderna?
• How long will the COVID-19 vaccines keep you safe from the coronavirus?
• Can you drink alcohol after getting the coronavirus vaccine?

Sources: Research Square, Medical News Today, Guardian, U.S. News 

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