Oxford jab offers less S Africa variant protection
A new study, not yet peer reviewed, involved about 2,000 people who were on average 31 years old.
But Prof Sarah Gilbert, Oxford lead vaccine developer, said vaccines should still protect against severe disease.
She said developers were likely to have a modified Oxford jab by the autumn to combat the South Africa variant.
South Africa has said it is putting its rollout of the Oxford vaccine on temporary hold, while scientists advise on the best way to proceed following the results of the study.
The variant, also known as 501.V2 or B.1.351, is already the dominant virus variant in large parts of South Africa.
Earlier, vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC’s Andrew Marr that a booster in the autumn and annual vaccines could be required to combat variants.
More than 100 cases of the South Africa variant have been found in the UK.
A study outlining early trials, first reported by the Financial Times, suggests the vaccine offered “minimal protection” against mild and moderate disease caused by the variant, the University of Oxford said.
Prof Gilbert told the Andrew Marr Show current vaccines “have a reduction in efficacy against some of the variant viruses”.
“What that is looking like is that we may not be reducing the total number of cases but there’s still protection in that case against deaths, hospitalisations and severe disease.”
She added: “That’s really important for healthcare systems, even if we are having mild and asymptomatic infections, to prevent people going into hospital with Covid would have a major effect.”
Meanwhile, Mr Zahawi said the UK government had ruled out issuing so-called “vaccine passports” to enable people who have had the jab against coronavirus to travel abroad.
