Trump Covid vaccine czar says ‘extremely low’ chance Pfizer and Moderna shots won’t work against new strain

Trump Covid vaccine czar says ‘extremely low’ chance Pfizer and Moderna shots won’t work against new strain

Christy Ruffell, manager of clinic nursing standards at UCHealth Medical Center, left, administers the Covid-19 vaccine to CNA Luis Perez, right, at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital on December 14, 2020 in Fort Collins, Colorado.Helen H. Richardson | The Denver Post | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump's coronavirus vaccine czar said Monday that he expects Pfizer's and Moderna's Covid-19 shots will be effective against a new mutation of the virus found in the U.K.The comment came after the U.K. on Saturday said it identified a new mutation of the virus that can spread more quickly than previous variants. Countries including Italy, Germany, Canada and Israel have barred flights from the U.K. following reports of the new strain.The mutations include changes to the spike protein that the virus uses to infect human cells. The vaccines induce an immune response against several structures found around the spike protein, a multifunctional mechanism that allows the virus to enter the host, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief science advisor of Trump's vaccine program Operation Warp Speed, told reporters during a press briefing. The chances one set of mutations would completely alter those structures "are extremely low," he added.Both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine use messenger RNA, or mRNA, technology. It's a new approach to