One of the key mutations on the South African and Brazilian variants appear to make the virus more able to resist immunity that has been developed by past infection or from the current vaccines.Īnd this mutation has now been found at least 11 times in different cases of people infected with the Kent variant, Public Health England revealed, raising fears it could become a permanent feature of the British strain.īoth the Kent and South African variants already share one mutation, named N501Y, which makes the virus spread faster. The Kent Covid variant has started to mutate further to become more like the one that evolved in South Africa in what scientists have dubbed a 'worrying development' that could make vaccines less effective. But he says it is possible that it will morph to become like other coronaviruses that just cause a common cold or 'mild' infections. He admitted the South African strain 'will have a big impact on the immune response from all the vaccines', suggesting the jab may not be as effective in curbing spread. In another ray of hope from Oxford's research, Dr Andrew Pollard - one of the lead Oxford researchers - said he is confident the current jabs will still prevent severe Covid in people who get infected with mutated variants of the virus.
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The announcement comes after the team got a huge boost to their jab development from a study published last night that suggested it can cut transmission by up to two thirds and a single dose can prevent 76 per cent of severe illnesses for three months, with that rising to 82 per cent after the second dose.
#Tgi autumn 8 update
The update could be used either as a booster for people who have already had a different vaccine or it could be used on its own for those who are still unvaccinated.ĪstraZeneca's executive vice-president, Sir Mene Pangalos, said today: 'We're very much aiming to have something ready by the autumn this year.'
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Oxford's Professor Andrew Pollard, who is leading studies of the jab, said it would be a 'short process' compared to making the original vaccine from scratch. The Oxford/AstraZeneca team, makers of one of the world's most advanced vaccines so far, say they will have their adapted version ready and manufactured before the end of 2021. Growing evidence suggests that a mutation first found in the South African variant of the virus, and now cropping up elsewhere, can reduce how well current vaccines work because it changes the shape of the spike protein that the jabs target.Īnd to overcome this, jab manufacturers say they are already working on updating their vaccines because they need to be extremely specific to offer the best form of protection.
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Oxford University and AstraZeneca plan to have a new Covid vaccine ready by the autumn to tackle new variants of the coronavirus, they confirmed today.