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LONDON (REUTERS) – Scientists are not entirely sure that Covid-19 vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa, ITV’s political editor said on Monday (January 4), citing an unidentified scientific adviser of the British government.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday he was incredibly concerned about the new variant.
Public Health England did not respond to phone calls seeking comment on the report.
“According to one of the government’s scientific advisers, the reason for Matt Hancock’s ‘incredible concern’ about the South African variant Covid-19 is that they are not as sure that the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the variant of the UK, “said ITV political editor Robert Peston.
Both Great Britain and South Africa have discovered new variants of the coronavirus in recent months that have led to an increase in the number of cases.
Scientists say the new South African variant is different from others circulating in the country because it has multiple mutations in the important “spike” protein that the virus uses to infect human cells.
It has also been associated with a higher viral load, which means a higher concentration of virus particles in the body of patients, possibly contributing to higher levels of transmission.
Professor John Bell, a royal professor of medicine at Oxford University who is part of the government’s vaccine task force, said Sunday that he thought the vaccines would work on the British variant, but said there was a “big question mark. “on whether it would work. in the South African variant.
He told Times Radio that if the vaccine did not work in the South African variant, the injections could be adapted and that would not take a year.
“It could take a month or six weeks to get a new vaccine,” he said.
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