Pfizer vaccine can protect against new COVID variant, preliminary study suggests

(NBC) – Preliminary research from Pfizer suggests its COVID-19 vaccine can protect against a new mutation of the virus.

Scientists from Pfizer and the University of Texas Medical Branch used blood samples from 20 people who had received the vaccine.

They found antibodies from those recipients were able to fend off the variant that has spread across the U.K. and has been found in the U.S.

However, the study is preliminary and has not yet been reviewed by other researchers.

Experts said while the results are promising, the study only looked at one key mutation contained in the variants, but not the full variants.