T-cell response barely impacted by new Covid-19 strains, study shows

The T-cells generated by the human body in response to the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 appear to also protect against the new strains of the virus that causes Covid-19, the results of a US laboratory study showed.

Those results are potentially of key significance due to concerns that antibodies, the first line of defence generated either in response to an infection or delivered through a vaccine, might be less effective against the new strains.

Overnight, America's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: "Our data, as well as the results from other groups, shows that the T cell response to COVID-19 in individuals infected with the initial viral variants appears to fully recognize the major new variants identified in the UK, South Africa and Brazil."

The study was led by Andrew Redd of the NIAID and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

To arrive at their findings, the researchers studied blood from 30 patients whi had recovered from the original strain of Covid-19, isolating the T-cells that were active against the virus.

In turn, those were challenged with the new variants and the researchers found that their response was largely unaffected and that they could identify nearly all the mutations carried by the new viruses.

Nevertheless, the researchers said larger studies were required in order to confirm their own results, which had yet to be peer-reviewed.

They also argued in favour of continued monitoring against new strains that might "escape" the human body's antibody and T-cell response.