New variants in the Covid-19 coronavirus from the UK and South Africa have caused renewed global concern in recent weeks.
But UK scientists now fear that it is the South African strain that causes the greatest risk, as it may be impervious to the various vaccines that have been developed, including those of Pfizer and Moderna.
The concerns were relayed to UK broadcaster ITV by unnamed advisers to the UK government.
Matt Hancock, the UK minister for health, has said that he was ‘incredibly worried’ about the new South African variant, calling it a “very significant problem”.
Scientists say the new variants in both South Africa and the UK have mutations on a key protein that helps the virus enter other cells.
John Bell, regius professor of medicine at University of Oxford, told Times Radio that there was a “big question mark” over whether vaccines would work on the South African variant, and that “It might take a month or six weeks to get a new vaccine”.
That is of little succour to those in South Africa who are still waiting for the first vaccine.
South Africa’s trade union federation COSATU has criticised the government for being ‘caught napping’ on a vaccine roll out programme.
