News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Pfizer 91% effective in updated data, protective against South African variant. Parent comment

Re:Pfizer 91% effective in updated data, protective against ... by saalweachter on Thursday April 01, 2021 @04:14PM (#26665465)
Hmmm, my understanding is that the flu vaccines are basically built on the seasonality of the flu -- the southern & northern hemisphere's flu seasons run six months opposite each other, so you basically take the strains that were biggest in the southern hemisphere during its season and vaccinate the northern against them, and vice-versa six months later.

Do we have any sign yet on whether the COVID-season would be expected to run on a similar schedule?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Pfizer 91% effective in updated data, protective against ... by maxerickson on Thursday April 01, 2021 @05:34PM (#26666382)
Not really, no. The vaccines developed a year ago are mostly effective enough against the strains circulating now though, so it may work out for the better.

(the "spike" that the vaccines target is important to the virus, so changes to it often make it much less infectious or whatever, and we don't really know how much room is has to both escape the vaccine triggered immunity and stay highly infectious)

[ Parent | on HN ]