What are health officials, doctors, policymakers and others saying about vaccine efficacy against the new Covid-19 vaccine variants? Understanding the evolving public narrative is critical to health messaging, especially regarding emerging questions in which data is still being gathered.
The query below returns the most-repeated quotes in worldwide English language online news coverage since the start of this year that mention "vaccine" and either "variant," "mutant" or "mutation" in the statement:
SELECT min(url) url, min(title) title, max(quotes.pre) pre, MAX(quotes.quote) quote, max(quotes.post) post, count(1) count FROM `gdelt-bq.gdeltv2.gqg`, UNNEST(quotes) quotes WHERE DATE(date) >= "2021-01-01" and lang='ENGLISH' and LOWER(quotes.quote) like '%vaccine%' and ( LOWER(quotes.quote) like '%variant%' OR LOWER(quotes.quote) like '%mutant%' OR LOWER(quotes.quote) like '%mutation%') group by LOWER(quotes.quote) order by count desc LIMIT 1000
You can see the top results below, along with a randomly-selected article containing that quote to show its context. Note that despite grouping by unique quote, quotes may be repeated below if they differ in the placement of a comma, an extra character, etc.
| 1 |
https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/national/19000426.covid-19-vaccine-given-every-year-like-flu-jab-says-matt-hancock/
|
All adults to be offered a Covid jab 'by the autumn'
|
But it's not a strategy in and of itself and relying on it alone is highly, highly risky, especially with all the new variants and mutations. We need to have a plan and the vaccine supports that plan but it's just your plan.
|
118
|
|||
| 2 |
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/10/398113/World/Africa/UK-scientists-worried-vaccines-may-not-work-on-SAf.aspx
|
AstraZeneca : BioNTech founders warn of vaccine supply gaps -Spiegel
|
to fight the virus, should be able to protect against the UK variant.
|
We are testing whether our vaccine can also neutralise this variant and will soon know more,
|
he said.
|
92
|
|
| 3 |
https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/national/18996599.pfizer-jab-may-protect-mutant-strains-coronavirus—study/
|
Pfizer jab may protect against mutant strains of coronavirus – study
|
Daniel Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said:
|
This is indeed an important finding to calm any concerns about lack of vaccine coverage for the variants.
|
65
|
||
| 4 |
https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/national/18996599.pfizer-jab-may-protect-mutant-strains-coronavirus—study/
|
Pfizer jab may protect against mutant strains of coronavirus – study
|
The experiment described takes blood serum from volunteers immunised with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and shows that it has equal ability to block one of the important mutations in the two concerning variant virus forms, as it does to block the original virus.
|
64
|
|||
| 5 |
https://www.aol.co.uk/news/2021/01/10/coronavirus-response-must-be-more-proactive-public-health-exper/
|
Coronavirus response must be more proactive, public health expert warns
|
But it's not a strategy in and of itself, and relying on it alone is highly, highly risky, especially with all the new variants and mutations. We need to have a plan and the vaccine supports that plan but it's just your plan.
|
55
|
|||
| 6 |
http://wlrh.org/NPR-News/bidens-plan-release-more-vaccine-gamble-it-worth-risk
|
Biden's Move To Release More Vaccine Doses Comes With Some Risks : Shots
|
As the virus continues to spread and as we begin to contemplate the possibility of the new variant or other new variants becoming more of a problem in this country it's a race against time and the faster we get more vaccine out the better,
|
Lipsitch says.
|
51
|
||
| 7 |
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/398392/World/International/Europe-coronavirus-cases-surpass–million-Reuters-.aspx
|
'The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet' – what Boris Johnson said in his latest address to the UK
|
It's clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out,
|
said Johnson.
|
47
|
||
| 8 |
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/10/398113/World/Africa/UK-scientists-worried-vaccines-may-not-work-on-SAf.aspx
|
ITV: UK scientists worried vaccines may not work on South African coronavirus variant
|
variants and say they could make any required tweaks in around six weeks.
|
According to one of the government's scientific advisers, the reason for Matt Hancock's 'incredible worry' about the South African COVID-19 variant is that they are not as confident the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the UK's variant,
|
ITV political editor Robert Peston said.
|
38
|
And this query looks at statements specifically about vaccine efficacy against the South African variant:
SELECT min(url) url, min(title) title, max(quotes.pre) pre, MAX(quotes.quote) quote, max(quotes.post) post, count(1) count FROM `gdelt-bq.gdeltv2.gqg`, UNNEST(quotes) quotes WHERE DATE(date) >= "2021-01-01" and lang='ENGLISH' and LOWER(quotes.quote) like '%vaccine%' and LOWER(quotes.quote) like '%south africa%' and ( LOWER(quotes.quote) like '%variant%' OR LOWER(quotes.quote) like '%mutant%' OR LOWER(quotes.quote) like '%mutation%') group by LOWER(quotes.quote) order by count desc LIMIT 1000
You can see some of the top quotes below:
| 1 |
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/10/398113/World/Africa/UK-scientists-worried-vaccines-may-not-work-on-SAf.aspx
|
Coronavirus vaccine live updates: Experts say vaccines may fail on South Africa strain, WHO chief lauds India
|
variants and say they could make any required tweaks in around six weeks.
|
According to one of the government's scientific advisers, the reason for Matt Hancock's 'incredible worry' about the South African Covid-19 variant is that they are not as confident the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the UK's variant,
|
Mr Robert Peston said.
|
72
|
|
| 2 |
https://gothamist.com/news/coronavirus-updates-research-underway-vaccines-effectiveness-against-south-african-variant
|
Coronavirus Updates: Research Underway On Vaccines' Effectiveness Against South African Variant
|
he said in a statement.
|
It's possible that new variants will affect the efficacy of the Covid vaccines, but we shouldn't make that assumption yet about the South African one.
|
38
|
||
| 3 |
https://www.basildonstandard.co.uk/news/national/18985505.south-african-coronavirus-variant-not-anticipated-beat-vaccine—expert/
|
Covid-19: South African variant not expected to beat vaccine, says professor
|
molecular oncology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, said:
|
While changes in the UK variant are unlikely to impact the effectiveness of current vaccines, the accumulation of more spike mutations in the South African variant are more of a concern and could lead to some escape from immune protection.
|
36
|
||
| 4 |
https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health-pmn/uk-minister-says-vaccine-might-not-work-against-s-african-variant
|
'Vaccine might not work against S.African variant' – UK minister – The Zimbabwe Mail
|
The South African variant is worrying the experts because it may be that the vaccine doesn't respond in the same way or doesn't work in quite the same way,
|
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the UK's LBC radio.
|
18
|
||
| 5 |
https://www.africaleader.com/news/267473469/pfizer-claims-vaccine-might-be-effective-against-new-strain
|
Pfizer claims vaccine might be effective against new strain
|
Rapidly spreading variants of SARS-CoV-2 that have arisen in the United Kingdom and South Africa share the spike N501Y substitution … We generated isogenic N501 and Y501 SARS-CoV-2. Sera of 20 participants in a previously reported trial of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 had equivalent neutralizing titters to the N501 and Y501 viruses,
|
the paper's abstract read.
|
13
|
||
| 6 |
http://midutahradio.com/news/national-news/coronavirus-live-updates-coronavirus-live-updates-california-reports-over-49000-new-cases-468-new-deaths/
|
Coronavirus live updates: 1 in every 905 Americans has died
|
the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston told ABC News this is
|
the first study to show that one of the most prominent mutations in the fast-spreading UK and the South African strain … doesn't affect the neutralizing activity of the current vaccine.
|
13
|
||
| 7 |
https://www.newsweek.com/covid-vaccine-south-african-strain-1558763
|
Analysis: why the South African coronavirus variant is so worrying
|
It is not anticipated that this mutation is sufficient for the 'South African' variant to bypass the protection provided by current vaccines,
|
said Professor Francois Balloux, professor of computational systems
|
7
|
||
| 8 |
https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=466391
|
Vaccines may not work on South African coronavirus variant, say UK scientists
|
According to one of the government's scientific advisers, the reason for Matt Hancock's 'incredible worry' about the South African coronavirus variant is that they are not as confident the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the UK's variant,
|
Political editor Robert Peston was quoted as saying by Reuters.
|
5
|
||
| 9 |
http://www.msn.com/en-nz/health/medical/biontech-says-covid-vaccine-is-effective-against-key-new-strains-to-publish-more-data-in-days/ar-BB1cEBnS
|
BioNTech Says Covid Vaccine Is Effective Against Key New Strains; to Publish More Data in Days
|
Last week, we reported another mutation which is present in the U.K. variant and also in the South African variant and this mutation is considered to be important because it could change structurally the protein. But it appears the immune response against our vaccine also neutralizes this mutation.
|
5
|
|||
| 10 |
https://enca.com/news/biontech-says-vaccine-neutralises-key-mutation-uk-safrica-strains
|
BioNTech says vaccine 'neutralises key mutation' in UK, S. Africa strains
|
research carried out by Pfizer and the University of Texas Medical Branch
|
indicates that the key N501Y mutation, which is found in the emerging UK and South Africa variants, does not create resistance to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine-induced immune responses
|
.
|
5
|
|
| 11 |
https://www.whmi.com/news/national/coronavirus-live-updates-1-in-every-905-americans-has-died
|
Coronavirus live updates: Coronavirus live updates: California reports over 49,000 new cases, 468 new deaths
|
the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston told ABC News this is
|
the first study to show that one of the most prominent mutations in the fast-spreading UK and the South African strain … doesn't affect the neutralizing activity of the current vaccine.
|
5
|
||
| 12 |
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1379831/coronavirus-nhs-frontline-workers-warning-on-its-knees
|
Analysis: why the South African coronavirus variant is so worrying
|
It's possible that new variants will affect the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines, but we shouldn't make that assumption yet about the South African one.
|
5
|
We hope this showcases some of the ways the quotations dataset can be used to identify the evolving public narrative around rapidly evolving spaces like Covid-19.