The findings have not yet been not peer-reviewed. They also describe recent analysis showing that the AstraZeneca vaccine may reduce the transmission of the disease.
Scientists first detected this Covid mutation in southeast England in September. It has since been found in at least 44 countries, including the U.S.
In January, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the modeled trajectory of the variant in the United States “exhibits rapid growth in early 2021, becoming the predominant variant in March.”
The AstraZeneca and Oxford University vaccine has been found to be 76% effective at preventing symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose, and the efficacy rate rose with a longer interval between the first and second doses.
Another study released Tuesday also provided important data on whether the AstraZeneca vaccine reduces transmission of the virus, a previous unknown and a crucial question for policymakers looking to lift lockdown measures that have crippled the economy. Based on weekly swabs from volunteers in the U.K. study, it found a 67% reduction in transmission after the first dose of the vaccine.
—CNBC’s Sam Meredith and Holly Ellyatt contributed to this article.