COVID Roundup: No vaccine resistance from a mutation in U.K., South Africa rapid transmission variants; plus Moderna vaccine gains U.K. approval

Mutation in rapid transmission strains doesn’t confer resistance
University of Texas Medical Branch and Pfizer scientists showed in a paper published Thursday in bioRxiv data suggesting Comirnaty’s efficacy isn’t affected by the N501Y spike mutation present in rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2 variants in the U.K. and South Africa.

The implications extend to vaccines from Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) and others, which were based on the same viral isolate and incorporate the same spike-stabilizing mutations...