People will have to “get used” to the idea of being re-vaccinated in the autumn as the UK faces new Covid-19 variants, Boris Johnson has said.
The Prime Minister warned that new coronavirus variants will likely mean booster vaccinations are needed later in the year after the second round of jabs is completed.
During Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons, Johnson said a 50 million dose deal with pharmaceutical firm Curevac will assist in developing vaccines to respond “at scale to new variants of the virus”.
He told MPs: “We’re going to have to get used to vaccinating and then revaccinating in the autumn as we come to face these new variants.”
Mutations that give the variants some resistance to existing vaccines have prompted a race to develop booster shots, much like the need to revaccinate annually against seasonal flu.
Oxford University is working on a modified version of its vaccine that is more effective against the South African variant to be ready by the autumn, amid concerns its existing jab is less effective against that strain.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, a deputy chief medical officer for England, said he has been “thinking over the horizon” in preparation for “a long-term resilient vaccine-orientated solution”.
He added: “And that includes the potential for variant vaccines for the autumn.”
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi also raised the prospect of the requirement for boosters after a study of about 2,000 people suggested the Oxford jab only offers minimal protection against mild disease of the South Africa variant.
He said: “While it is right and necessary to prepare for the deployment of an updated vaccine, we can take confidence from the current rollout and the protection it will provide all of us against this terrible disease.
“We need to be aware that even where a vaccine has reduced efficacy in preventing infection there may still be good efficacy against severe disease, hospitalisation, and death. This is vitally important for protecting the healthcare system.”
