Vaccine concern as Kent variant mutates
THE Government is working with vaccine firms on tackling coronavirus variants, the Health Secretary said yesterday, as scientists expressed concern that the strain identified in Kent has mutated.
As doorstep testing gets under way in eight areas of England to find cases of Covid-19 caused by the South African variant, experts said some samples of the Kent variant are now showing the E484K mutation.
The South African and Brazilian variants of coronavirus also contain the E484K mutation, which has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing people contracting Covid-19.
However, public health experts believe current vaccines will still be effective against these strains and are good at preventing severe disease.
A report from Public Health England (PHE) shows that sequencing has uncovered 11 Kent cases with the spontaneous E484K mutation from 214,159 samples tested. It comes as:
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that lockdown restrictions in Scotland will remain in force until at least the end of February.
Boris Johnson told the weekly meeting of Cabinet that plans for relaxing lockdown restrictions in England depended on conditions easing in the health service and the continuing success of the vaccination programme.
There are 110 care homes across England where the vaccine programme has not yet started due to outbreaks.
Interim trial results suggested Russia’s Covid vaccine is 91.6% effective against symptomatic coronavirus.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hancock said the Government is working closely with pharmaceutical firms in case vaccines need to be tweaked to accommodate new variants.
He said: “We’re working with pharmaceutical companies and with the scientists to understand both whether such modifications are needed, where they are needed, and how they can be brought to use on the front line as quickly and safely as possible.
“This is obviously a very important consideration, given the new variants that we’ve seen. And we have confidence that modifications to vaccines, should they be necessary in large scale, will be available more quickly than the original vaccines.
“And, just as we did first time round, when we got in there early and we bought at risk, so we are having exactly the same conversations right now with the pharmaceutical companies to make sure that we are right at the front of this one.”
Mr Hancock told MPs that the aim of community testing for the South African variant – currently targeting around 80,000 people in eight postcode areas – is to “stop its spread altogether”.
He added: “As with the variant first identified here in the UK, there is currently no evidence to suggest it is any more severe, but we have to come down on it hard. Our mission must be to stop its spread altogether and break those chains of transmission.”
He also said more areas – Bristol and Liverpool –have been added to the list for community testing since eight initial areas were announced on Monday. “In those areas where this variant has been found – parts of Broxbourne, London, Maidstone and Southport, Walsall and Woking – we’re putting in extra testing and sequencing every positive test,” he said.
“We have also seen 11 cases of mutations of concern in Bristol and 32 in Liverpool, and are taking the same approach. In all these areas, it is imperative that people must stay at home and only leave home where it is absolutely essential.”
Clinical trials for two coronavirus vaccines – Novavax and Johnson & Johnson – have shown the jabs offer some protection against variants with the E484K mutation.