Variant vaccines on the way

Researchers already developing jab for a strain first identified in South Africa

One of the creators of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has revealed that researchers are already designing a vaccine specifically for the new strain of the virus first identified in South Africa.

More than 100 cases of this variant have now been reported in the United Kingdom, and a study to be published on Monday suggests that the AstraZeneca vaccine only offers limited protection against it. But Sarah Gilbert said on the BBC's The Andrew Marr Show that scientists were already working on something tailored for this variant.

"This year, we expect to show that the new version of the vaccine will generate antibodies that recognize the new variant," she said. "Then, it will be very much like working on flu vaccines. It looks very much like it will be available for the autumn."

The study, by South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Oxford, was highlighted by the Financial Times. It has yet to be peer-reviewed, but said the vaccine only offered limited protection against mild forms of the disease. AstraZeneca noted that the "small" trial had been conducted predominantly on young, healthy adults, rather than a wider cross-section of society.

Britain's vaccine minister has said that the mutating nature of the virus could see vaccinations become a regular fixture, similar to the flu jab.

Nadhim Zahawi said: "We see very much probably an annual or booster in the autumn and then an annual (jab), in the way we do with flu vaccinations, where you look at what variant of virus is spreading around the world, rapidly produce a variant of vaccine, and then begin to vaccinate and protect the nation."

World Health Organization special envoy David Nabarro also drew comparisons for how flu is handled when talking about the way ahead for COVID treatment in an interview on Sky News.

More variations were inevitable, he said, so keeping up basic hygiene techniques would help reduce their spread, and also scientists were now in a position to adapt existing vaccines.

"Just like we do for flu, we'll do for coronavirus," he said. "Variations are worrying and we have to be very conscious of them, but we know they're going to come and go on coming and we know the vaccines will have to continue to be modified.

"The first thing is that we use the precautions that we're using generally with regards to distancing and face-masking. Secondly, we can adapt vaccines, the scientists are good at doing that, and we will do it."

He also said that the global nature of the pandemic made international cooperation through organizations such as the WHO more crucial than ever.

"The really important thing is for leaders around the world to give their support to outfits like the WHO, which is the only kind of organization that can keep a track of different variants as they emerge and give advice on things like travel," he said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's hopes of lifting the national lockdown could face a challenge after an analysis of the government's own data revealed the reduction in cases of COVID-19 in the UK was significantly slower in the poorer regions.

The government hopes to start reopening schools in early March, with a gradual revival of the economy to follow, but the uneven reduction in cases would suggest the country is not yet ready for a one-size-fits-all approach to lifting lockdown, nearly 12 months on from its first imposition.

The Financial Times reports that the government has chosen three British-based companies to make rapid COVID-19 tests, to be better placed for any future flare-ups of infection, and less reliant on imports.

The companies reportedly selected to produce up to 2 million lateral flow devices each week are SureScreen, Global Access Diagnostics, and Omega Diagnostics, although none of them has commented on the reports.

Lateral flow tests, which can be quickly self-administered, are good at identifying people who may be infectious despite exhibiting no symptoms. The government now plans to make it easier for workplaces to access them for employees who cannot work from home.

Currently, only companies with more than 250 workers qualify for lateral flow testing, but the plan is to cut that figure to 50, enabling more people to be tested in more workplaces, to help fight the spread of the virus.

"When you consider that around one in three people have the virus without symptoms and could potentially infect people without even knowing it, it becomes clear why focusing testing on those without symptoms is so essential," said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.