COVID-19 vaccines may not work on South African coronavirus variant: UK scientists

Researchers are worried that COVID-19 vaccines might not work on the mutated strain of the coronavirus found in South Africa, British television network ITV said on Monday quoting an unidentified scientific advisor to the British government, reported Reuters.

“According to one of the government’s scientific advisors, the reason for Matt Hancock’s ‘incredible worry’ about the South African COVID-19 variant is that they are not as confident the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the UK’s variant,” ITV political editor Robert Peston said.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Monday said that he was quite tensed about the new strain.

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Both Britain and South Africa have discovered mutated coronavirus strains in recent weeks that have raised concern in many countries, including the United States and India, the top two worst-hit countries by COVID-19.

Scientists have noted that the new South African variant is different from others because it has multiple mutations in the important “spike” protein that the virus uses to infect human cells.

It has also been associated with a higher viral load, contributing to higher levels of transmission.