*The Pfizer-BioNTech reveal their vaccine works to neutralise the new virus strain called N501Y mutation, which causes the virus to spread more easily

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Against the backdrop of a new variant of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic first discovered in the United Kingdom (UK) December 2020, health officials’ worst fear was that it would be resistant to the newly released virus vaccines.

However, Pfizer has said that the vaccine it developed with BioNTech appears to be effective against this new mutation of the blazing virus.

The company’s research, published Thursday, January 7, 2021, but not yet peer-reviewed, suggests that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine worked to neutralise the so-called N501Y mutation, which causes the virus to spread more easily.

Meanwhile, the pandemic is said to be taking a toll on the job market in recent times.

It was learnt that as cases of the virus mounted in the past month, causing new restrictions to be placed on businesses, layoffs also resumed with greater frequency in certain economies.

For instance, the US Labour Department’s December 2020 employment report showed the damage resulting from the fatal disease in graphic detail.

The economy lost 140,000 jobs during the month, the first time the report has posted a negative number since April.

Since then, employers had restored about 12 million of the lost jobs, agency report said.

Precisely, report says the biggest job losses came in the hospitality industry, especially bars and restaurants.

The sector lost a total of 498,000 jobs last month.