Around 90% of people who received the vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. were found to have developed antibodies against the various COVID-19 variants detected in Japan, a university study showed Wednesday.
The study by a research team at Yokohama City University was conducted on 105 people who had received both doses of the vaccine without contracting COVID-19 and checked for immunity against seven variants.
Of the 105 people, 90% to 94% were found to have antibodies against the variants found in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil, while 97% had antibodies against the variant detected in India, the study showed.
It also found that 99% had antibodies against the original coronavirus, present in Japan from the start of the outbreak.
The nation is now facing a fourth wave of infections amid the spread of more contagious variants, while its vaccine rollout is lagging behind those of other countries such as the U.K., Israel and the United States.
The vaccine developed by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE is currently the only one authorized for use in Japan.
