Health Secretary: Current vaccines may be less effective against new Covid variant
Sajid Javid has been giving a statement in the House of Commons
Last updated 26th Nov 2021
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said that the coronavirus vaccines could be less effective against a new variant of Covid-19.
The Health Secretary has been giving an update in the House of Commons on a new Covid-19 variant called B.1.1.529 and said this new variant of Covid is 'of huge international concern'.
He said it “is highly likely that it has now spread to other countries”.
Mr Javid went on: “We are concerned that this new variant may pose substantial risk to public health. The variant has an unusual large number of mutations.
"Yesterday the UK Health Security Agency classified B.1.1.529 as a new variant under investigation and the very technical group has designated it as a variant under investigation with very high priority.”
Current vaccines “may be less effective against it”
Sajid Javid said of the new coronavirus variant: “Early indications show this variant may be more transmissible than the Delta variant, and current vaccines may be less effective against it.
“It may also impact the effectiveness of one of our major treatments Ronapreve.”
The Health Secretary added: “We are working quickly and we are working with a high degree of uncertainty. We are continuing to make assessments, including about those countries with strong travel links to South Africa.
“But this variant is a reminder for all of us that this pandemic is far from over. We must continue to act with caution and do all we can to keep this virus at bay, including once you’re eligible getting your booster shot.
“We’ve already given over 16 million booster shots. The booster jab was already important before we knew about this variant, but now it could not be more important.”
More countries could be added to red list
Late yesterday (25th November) the UK banned flights from some countries in Southern Africa and the prospect of that list getting bigger was raised today.
Sajid Javid said there are “very live” discussions over the possibility of adding further countries to the red list following the emergence of a new variant of the virus which causes Covid-19.
The Health Secretary told MPs: “We are going primarily by where the new variant has been detected at this point, and that’s been confirmed in two countries in southern Africa – South Africa and Botswana.
“We’ve included the four other countries I mentioned earlier in southern Africa as a precaution.”
He added: “We are keeping this under review and there’s very live discussions going on about whether we should and when we might add further countries, and we won’t hesitate to act if we need to do so.”
More about coronavirus
What is Covid-19?
Covid-19 emerged as a virus in December 2019 as the first cases are reported in Wuhan, China. Scientifically known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus created a global pandemic as it began to spread around the world. Symptoms can range from very mild to severe, causing death in some cases. Some people are completely asymptomatic and do not realise they even have the virus.
Has there been a virus like this before?
The SARS pandemic in 2003 was similar to Covid-19 in that it was also caused by a coronavirus. SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The global outbreak of SARS lasted from 2002-2003, infecting over 8,000 people and killing 774. Covid-19 and SARS are both respiratory illnesses, but SARS was much more deadly and less infectious.
What are the main symptoms?
The NHS say the main Covid-19 symptoms are a high temperature, a new and continuous cough and loss or change to taste of sense or smell. NHS advises people with Covid-19 to take plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, and take paracetamol for a high temperature.
What was the Government reaction?
The UK Government announced the first of several lockdowns in March 2020. By the end of the month, more than 100 countries around the world introduce full or partial lockdowns, preventing people from going to work, restricting everyday tasks and affecting the livelihoods of billions of people globally.
Which countries have been worst hit?
During the first year of the pandemic, the US recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world and the most deaths, reporting an unprecedented 100,000 new cases in one day on November 4th 2020. Thousands of new cases were recorded on the same date in India (46,000+), the United Kingdom (22,000+), Brazil (17,000+) and Mexico (5,000+), while Ireland records less than 1,000 (578). Hundreds of other countries also reported a high rate of infection.
How have vaccines fought against Covid-19?
Vaccines began being approved for use across the globe. By January 2021, the UK approved the use of three different vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the Moderna vaccine are rolled out to the public, with older people and those with greater health concerns getting priority. In April 2022, just under 53 million people had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
What are new Covid variants?
Four new variants of Covid-19 were discovered around the world. Beta was found in South Africa, Gamma in Brazil and Delta in India, while the Alpha variant was first located in Kent, UK. New variants are not likely to make someone more seriously ill than Covid-19 would, but variants like Delta have a higher infection rate, meaning it can be more easily spread.
The Omicron variant was first detected late 2021 in South Africa. Since then, it has become one of the most dominant variants in the world, with its own sub strains - BA.4 and BA.5.