New research from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that the coronavirus vaccines that have been approved so far are effective against all variants of the virus, including the highly contagious variant currently circulating in India.
While much is still unknown about the future of coronavirus and the long-term efficacy of the vaccines against the virus, the WHO has abated concerns by announcing that the vaccines that have already been approved for use in the EU - namely Janssen, Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca - are largely effective against any variants of COVID-19.
“All the variants of the coronavirus that have emerged so far are responding to available, approved vaccines," said Belgian doctor Hans Kluge, who represents Europe on the WHO board.
Over the past few months, a number of highly contagious mutations of coronavirus have emerged, leading to spikes in infections and concerns about whether the newly developed vaccines would be effective against future mutations of the virus. Most recently, the so-called Indian variant has been causing issues in Europe, with eight cases recorded in the Netherlands.
While Kluge shares positive news, he warns that Europe mustn’t become too complacent. “The coronavirus could resurface and the health care system, the community and the economy take the full brunt” he cautions. “We are now moving in the right direction, but we must keep a close eye on the virus that has claimed 1.2 million lives in Europe.”