PfizerAnd BioNTechCompanies said that Covid-19 is being investigated by them.

The companies stated that they understood the concerns of specialists and immediately began investigations into variant B.1.1.529.

Pfizer and BioNTech stated that they anticipate more data from laboratory tests within two weeks.

The companies stated that these data would provide additional information on whether B.1.1.529 might be an escape variant and may need to adjust our vaccine in the event of global spread.

Pfizer and BioNTech claimed they could adapt the mRNA vaccine to their needs within six weeks. They also said they would ship batches in 100 days, if necessary.

Johnson & Johnson on Friday said they were already testing their vaccine against the new variant.

“We are closely monitoring newly emerging COVID-19 virus strains with variations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and are already testing the effectiveness of our vaccine against the new and rapidly spreading variant first detected in southern Africa,” J&J said. 

South Africa discovered the variant. It has more than 50 mutations. Forty-three of these are related to the spike protein, which allows the virus binding to human cells. Although the spread of the variant is in its early stages it’s unclear how serious an infection could be for vaccinated people.

Many Asian and European nations have suspended travel from south Africa as a result of the variant. The United Kingdom suspended flights on Thursday from six countries in the region, and the European Commission – the European Union’s executive body – told all 27 member states to halt travel from southern Africa.

On Friday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser said that the U.S. was working with South African scientists in order to determine the molecular composition of the variant for laboratory tests. The tests could help establish if the variant can be used to evade the anti-vaccine protection.

Fauci claimed that information would be used to help decide if the U.S. should impose similar travel restrictions.

Pfizer BioNTech has seen its two-dose anti-infective vaccine, which is a highly effective preventative medicine for hospitalizations and deaths, lose some of its effectiveness over the years. The vaccine’s effectiveness decreased from 86% down to 43% between February and October, according to a study in Science.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention granted booster shots to Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for all adults on Friday. A clinical trial of 10,000 adults showed that the booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine was effective in stopping symptomatic disease in 95% of participants.