The coronavirus vaccines currently in use may eventually stop working against new variants of the virus, experts are warning.
Officials will need to plan fresh solutions to keep on top of the virus as it mutates, Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) cautioned in new papers published Friday.
The scientists suggest booster shots and 'multi type' jabs to target particular strains will be the future weapons needed to keep fighting off the virus.
One solution would be to continually update vaccines to keep pace with virus evolution, or create stronger jabs that teach the immune system's memory 'T' cells to produce virus-defending antigens for longer periods, the paper suggests.
It warns that the jabs currently in use may "boost protection" over the next two winters, but potentially less so for people with a "less robust immune response" and even less so if "substantially antigenically variant viruses circulate widely."
"Eventually it is likely that the virus will display sufficient substantial antigenic variation and current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection, or even against disease caused by newer variants."
The paper continues: "We should also consider whether future vaccination policy will aim to immunise the whole population or only those at risk from severe disease, and how this might be impacted by the long-term accumulation of baseline immunity in the population and long-term evolution of the virus."
The experts warn reducing vaccine effectiveness will result in further economic and social costs on top of the pandemic misery the UK has already suffered.
SAGE's paper said Britain was doing "world-leading" work on genomics - the type of science being used to sequence and identify new types, like the Indian variant currently worrying authorities.
While the scientists described Britain's virus surveillance so far as a "strength," they warned tracking new variants would not be enough to stop spikes of new strains in years to come.
They suggested the UK is in a "strong position" to combine virus surveillance systems, knowledge of seasonal vaccine programmes like the annual influenza and new jab technology to stamp out new variant outbreaks as they pop up, the paper says.
The UK's vaccine rollout has seen more than 37million receive a first does of the vaccine so far.
But the Indian variant is being blamed for fresh spikes in cases in areas including Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen and Bedford.
Boosting hopes of fighting the variant, experts said this week it is not believed to be more infectious or cause more severe disease than other strains.
Data from a study of vaccinated Indian healthcare workers earlier this week showed also that the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is 97% effective against the variant.
Boris Johnson had warned "caution" as the government hinted delays could be possible to the big unlocking on June 21.
But the Prime Minister said the roadmap out of lockdown remained unchanged as the date for easing most restrictions inches closer.
"We have looked at the data, we have increasing confidence vaccines are effective against all variants including Indian," he said this week.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock also announced a new trial of 'booster' shots as he urged people who had already been jabbed to volunteer for the studies.
It is hoped the trials could boost protection from another wave of the virus in the colder months.
