Brazilian threat ‘not a priority’

THE Brazil variant is not a threat to the UK’s jab programme despite evidence it spreads more easily and could evade immunity, an expert says.

A study found the P1 strain which was first identified in the city of Manaus could re-infect up to 61 per cent of people with Covid antibodies.

But researchers said findings could not predict what would happen in the UK and, with only six cases detected so far, should not impede the rollout.

Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the Covid-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) group, said the priority was tackling the dominant Kent variant.

She said: “The key thing about vaccination is that the majority of disease in the UK is caused by the B117 [Kent] variant which we can vaccinate against using the vaccines we have.

Optimistic

“We should be optimistic and pushing on with that vaccination so we can get a high level of immunity in our population.”

Prof Peacock said it was still too early to say whether the P1 variant could evade vaccines.

Ester Sabino of the University of Sao Paulo said contact tracing was key, adding: “You need many introductions to start an epidemic – six are very few.”

A team of international experts looked at cases in Manaus, hit hard in the first wave. Blood tests suggested 76 per cent of the population carried antibodies by October – so scientists were surprised when cases surged in January.

Dr Nuno Faria of Imperial College London explained:

“If 100 people were infected in Manaus last year, between 25 and 61 are susceptible to reinfection.”