As Britain launches its second coronavirus vaccine (Covid-19) on Monday, an Oxford scientist said there was a “big question mark” over the effectiveness of vaccines in the South African version of SARS. -CoV- 2. The new Covid-19 strain, called 20C / 501Y.V2, caused a rapid increase in coronavirus cases in South Africa and two cases of the variant were discovered in the UK on 23 December.
Sir John Bell, an Oxford professor working with the British government on his vaccination program, told Times Radio that there was no evidence to suggest that the South African version was more deadly than the one in the UK. he was worried about the former mutations. Bell said a team of researchers is looking at how currently available vaccines could address virus variants.
“There is still research to be done, but if you want to feel my gut, I think the vaccine will be effective against the Kent strain and I don’t know about the South African strain. I think there is a big question mark in this regard “, said the professor.
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The South African variant was first identified in Nelson Mandela Bay in samples dating back to early October 2020, and the variant was also identified in Zambia in late December 2020. Bell said it is unlikely that the mutations will be extremely transmissible to “completely stop the effect of vaccines. “
“We have a bit of a margin because vaccines work, I think, much better than any of us thought they would work,” he said. “We have room for maneuver. If it worked 20% less well due to a mutation, we would still have good vaccines. “
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was “extremely concerned about the South African version” of the coronavirus, calling it “even more of a problem” than the new British strain. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no evidence to suggest that the South African version has any impact on the severity of the disease or the effectiveness of the vaccine.