Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine appears ‘less effective’ in combating South African variant

No one involved in the study was hospitalised, or died

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine appears less effective in combating the South African variant of Covid-19, according to a new study due to be published on Monday. The study's preliminary findings were seen by the Financial Times. It said the Oxford vaccine "does not appear to offer protection against mild and moderate disease" caused by the South African coronavirus strain. Over 2,000 people featured as part of the study. None of them were hospitalised, but the FT says the findings "could complicate" the roll-out of new vaccines as new strains of Covid-19 spread. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine does still appear to be effective in combating hospitalisation rates and deaths caused by other variants of coronavirus, however. Those behind the Oxford vaccine previously denied that it was less effective in over-65s. England has seen a rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 cases linked to the South African variant. Last week, residents in parts of Surrey began to receive door-to-door coronavirus swab tests. Random testing conducted by Public Health England uncovered positive Covid-19 tests for the South African variant, even among those with no prior travel links to the country. Two people with no travel links to South Africa were found to have caught the country's Covid-19 variant. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously asserted that vaccines will continue to provide protection against new and emerging strains of coronavirus. He said: "We are confident that all the vaccines that we are using provide a high degree of immunity and protection against all variants. "The fact is we are going to be living with Covid for a while to come in one way or another, I don't think it will be as bad as the last 12 months - or anything like - of course, but it's very, very important that our vaccines continue to develop and to adapt, and they will."