The coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE was shown to initiate protection in opposition to the variant first recognized in South Africa in laboratory testing, according to research that was published on Wednesday on the New England Journal of Medicine website. The results suggest the vaccine generated a slightly lesser immune response in opposition to the variant’s mutations than the original strain transmitting in the US., but still effective at getting rid of the variant virus, according to the research. The finding is consistent with earlier research of Pfizer’s vaccine against emerging variants. The endeavor was led by Pfizer and researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch. They tested the complete set of mutations identified in the South Africa variant, as well as a subset of these changes, against 20 serum samples from subjects in Pfizer’s late-stage study. There was roughly two-thirds decrease in the neutralization against the variant’s mutations compared with the more frequent form of the virus. Pfizer and BioNTech revealed in a statement that there isn’t any “clinical evidence” that indicates the variant escaping protection generated by the vaccine. The double-dose shot was initially cleared by regulators in December after the big global trial found the vaccine to work securely and be highly efficient at protecting against symptomatic coronavirus.