New Oxford vaccine for mutant Covid variants will be ‘ready by autumn’
A modified version of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, designed for mutant strains of coronavirus, is expected to be ready by autumn.
Scientists initially hoped the updated version of the jab would be ready by next winter.
But they have ramped up efforts after a number of ‘variants of concern’ were identified both in Britain and overseas, sparking fears over the efficacy of the original vaccine.
Head of research and development at the British drug giant AstraZeneca, Sir Mene Pangalos, has revealed how work on an ‘edited version’ of the jab began months ago.
Competitors including Pfizer and Moderna could produce modified vaccines at a faster rate than their British counterpart.
But they may face a crucial decision about which strain to tackle, the Times reports.
AstraZeneca is said to be confident its current vaccine is effective against the Kent variant, but it is said to be ‘less effective’ against the South African mutant strain.
South African officials are considering swapping or selling its 1.5million doses of the vaccine, after research found it had a ‘minimal effect’ against the country’s variant in young people.
However AstraZeneca says it believes its jab will still prevent serious disease and illness from the strain.
England’s deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van Tam, said the South African variant is not expected to become the most dominant in Britain.
But emergency surge-testing is now being deployed in Middlesborough after a case was detected there, it emerged last night, after the strain was found in Stafford on Thursday.
Boris Johnson warned he would not rule out an extended lockdown if the South African variant continues to spread.
But with daily cases falling significantly and nearly 15million people being offered their first jab, the Prime Minister says that on February 22 he will unveil his roadmap to lift tough restrictions.
When asked about the efficacy of current vaccines against certain strains at a Downing Street press conference earlier this week, Professor Van Tam urged people not to worry.
He said: ‘To people who are kind of on the edge going well “should I have this current vaccine or should I hang on for a South African variant vaccine when it arrives?” – my advice to you is very simple.
‘Do not delay, have the vaccine that will protect you against the current threat, and don’t worry – you can be revaccinated.’
Defending the current vaccine yesterday, AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot said: ‘Is it perfect? No, it’s not perfect, but it’s great. Who else is making 100million doses in February?
‘One hundred million doses in February means 100 million vaccinations, which means hundreds of thousands of severe infections that are avoided. And it also means thousands of deaths that are avoided.
‘We’re going to save thousands of lives and that’s why we come to work every day.’
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