UK Covid live: minister urges confidence in Oxford vaccine despite South African variant concern

Latest updates: Nadim Zahawi says people should keep faith in UK programme after study finds UK jab not as effective against South African variantVaccine strategy needs rethink after new variants emerge, says expertOxford vaccine gives less protection against South African variant 9.05am GMT Good morning. At the weekend it emerged that some new research suggests that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which is the main one being used in the UK, provides only “minimal” protection against mild or moderate illness from the South African variant of coronavirus (known as B1351 or 501Y.v2). The findings come from a small survey which has not been subject to peer review, this does not mean the vaccine won’t stop people getting seriously ill or dying from the South African variant (evidence suggests it still will), and the South African variant has only been identified in a relatively small number of cases in the UK anyway.Still, it’s a reminder that the vaccine alone does not provide a miracle solution. Related: Study shows Oxford Covid vaccine has less protection against South African variant Our brilliant scientists and medical advisers are now working on the potential for new versions of existing vaccines to offer further protections against Covid variants. Last week we announced an agreement with the manufacture CureVac to allow new varieties of vaccines based on messenger RNA technology to be developed quickly and to procure 50 million doses of a new version of a vaccine, if it is required.But we should bear in mind that recent studies show the vaccines being deployed right now across the UK appear to work well against the Covid-19 variants currently dominant in the UK. In terms of other variants, not in the UK, we need to be aware that even where a vaccine has reduced efficacy in preventing infection there may still be good efficacy against severe disease, hospitalisation, and death. This is vitally important for protecting the healthcare system. Related: Coronavirus live news: WHO panel to discuss Oxford vaccine; US passes 27m cases Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/feb/08/uk-covid-live-oxford-vaccine-south-african-variant-coronavirus-latest-updates #coronavirus #infectious_diseases #medical_research #politics #uk_news #world_news #science #boris_johnson #microbiology #astrazeneca