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Coronavirus vaccines could be ineffective against the highly infectious South African mutation, warned a scientist who helped develop the Oxford jab.
Sir John Bell, a royal professor of medicine at Oxford, said the African strain is more concerning than the Kentish one.
The vaccines are believed to be effective against the highly infectious UK variant VUI-202012/01 which is currently causing a massive increase in cases across the country.
But he said the South African variant 501.V2, detected in two locations in Britain, has “really quite substantial changes in the structure of the protein,” meaning the vaccines could be ineffective.
Coronavirus vaccines could be ineffective against the highly infectious South African mutation, warned a scientist who helped develop the Oxford jab (file image)
This map shows how variants of the coronavirus have been tracked as they spread around the world
The Covid vaccine protects against disease by teaching the immune system how to fight the pathogen.
It creates antibodies, disease-fighting proteins, and is manufactured and stored to combat invaders in the future by attaching itself to its cutting-edge proteins.
But if they cannot recognize the proteins because they have mutated, it means that the body may have a difficult time attacking a virus a second time and causing a second infection.
Sir John Bell (pictured), Regius professor of medicine at Oxford, said the African strain is more of a concern than the Kentish one.
Sir John told Times Radio: ‘The mutations associated with the South African form are actually quite substantial changes in the structure of the protein.
‘My instinct is that the vaccine will continue to be effective against the Kent strain
“I don’t know about the South African strain, there is a big question mark about that.”
Britain first raised the alarm about the VUI-202012/01 variant in December after an explosion of cases was linked to the strain.
The vaccines are believed to be effective against the highly infectious UK variant VUI-202012/01 which is currently causing a massive increase in cases across the country (file image)
Leading US virologists admitted that the strain, which was first seen in a patient in September, could have arisen there and go unnoticed because the US genomic scheme is “sporadic.”
Australia, Italy, Iceland, Spain, and the Netherlands are among the countries that have since reported cases of the UK variant.
Other Covid strains with nearly identical genetic makeup have also been reported in South Africa, with the 501.V2 strain, and Nigeria, which detected the P681H strain.
South Africa detected 501.V2, which is feared to be more extreme than the UK’s VUI-202012/01.
Several countries have banned travelers from South Africa to try to contain the spread of the new strain, including the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
But the variant has already been detected in two places in Britain in contacts of people who had recently visited the African nation.
On Christmas Eve, another new variant called P681H was detected in Nigeria.
Scientists say it is different from the other two but they Currently, I do not believe that the Nigerian strain is more infectious than the previous strains.
Concerns about the vaccine’s ineffectiveness come ahead of a major launch of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine on Monday.
In the UK’s largest mass vaccination campaign ever, half a million doses will be made available to vulnerable people this week, with the promise of “tens of millions” by April.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock praised “a historic day and a day of celebration” for the coup created by the University of Oxford and against the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
He said: “This is a crucial moment in our fight against this terrible virus and I hope it gives everyone renewed hope that the end of this pandemic is in sight.”
The elderly and infirm in Oxford, London, Brighton, Morecambe in Lancashire and Nuneaton in Warwickshire will be the first to receive the jab.
This week a total of 530,000 doses will be made available at 540 GP vaccination centers and 101 hospitals.
The NHS has ordered 100 million doses that are expected to rid the country of Covid-19.
An army of current and former NHS personnel have applied to strike, and tens of thousands have already completed their training.
The vaccine is the second to be available after one million Britons received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Oxford vaccine is easier to use as it does not require storage at extremely low temperatures.
Yesterday, Boris Johnson praised the progress of vaccines in the UK. He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr program: “The UK is still the first country to get an approved stage three vaccine in people’s arms. By vaccinating a million people, as we have already done, we surpass the rest of Europe as a whole ”.
A total of 524,439 people already vaccinated are 80 years or older, about one in five in that age group.
The supermarket giant Tesco and the chemist Boots have offered to help with the launch of the vaccines.
Boots is opening three Covid-19 vaccination sites in Halifax, Huddersfield and Gloucester, while Tesco will help distribute the Oxford vaccine.
The Ministry of Defense has deployed 10 military planners to assist the Government’s Vaccine Task Force, with over 150 people working across the UK.
The launch of the Pfizer / BioNTech jab began almost a month ago.
But both jabs require second doses that will now take place within 12 weeks instead of 21 days as originally planned to “protect the greatest number of people in the shortest time,” health chiefs said.
The government was forced yesterday to deny claims that there was a “zip code lottery”, as GPs in some areas have not agreed to deliver the vaccine.
