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FIGHTING
COVID-19
VARIANTS WITH
T CELLS
UCT virologists reveal the
body’s T cells maintain 85%
of their capacity to detect
COVID-19 variants.
Central players in the body’s immune
systems, T cells are able to mount a
substantial defence to prevent severe
illness, hospitalisation and death from
variants of COVID-19, say researchers Dr
Catherine Riou and Associate Professor
Wendy Burgers from UCT’s Institute
of Infectious Disease and Molecular
Medicine (IDM).
In a pre-print article, they analysed the
role of T cells in responding to the Beta
variant; however, the authors predict
similar results with Delta and other future
variants. This is because the T cell response
to infection with SARS-CoV-2 is far more
multi-faceted than that of antibodies,
providing a significant extra layer of
protection against disease.
Growing fears around the resistance of
COVID-19 variants to antibody defences
has sparked increased interest in the role
of T cells, that other major part of the
immune response. As a result, the team
has followed up this research with testing
for T-cell response to the Delta variant.
Regardless of which COVID-19 variant is
involved, Burgers and Riou are confident
that existing vaccines will continue to
protect populations from severe disease
and hospitalisation.
“If a person becomes infected or gets
vaccinated against the original strain rather
than any variant, we’ve shown that it’s very
likely that the vaccine will induce a similar
response to Delta, should that person
encounter it,” said Riou.
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