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The Oxford jab is less protective against the South African variant – but that's no disaster
The news that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is less protective against the South African variant of Covid-19 has caused a lot of concern. But before we start worrying, we should first be clear about the details. While the current vaccine has less efficacy against the South African variant, it offers only slightly less protection when used on the variant first identified in Kent. And it is still thought to be likely that the vaccine will protect against serious disease caused by the South African variant.
This is an important detail. The current death toll in the UK is frighteningly high. Thousands of people are in hospital being treated for Covid-19, and many more are dying at home. Our first priority is to ease the death toll and the number of hospital admissions, which are overwhelming the NHS. If the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is still effective at preventing serious disease caused by the South African variant, then it should help with both of these things. A vaccine that prevents serious illness is more than adequate for the time being to get the pandemic under control.
In general, vaccines of all types are most effective at preventing severe illness and less effective at preventing mild to moderate illness. Vaccines work by preparing the body’s immune system so that if it encounters the virus, it recognises it immediately. After a person has been vaccinated, they may have sufficient neutralising antibodies circulating in their bloodstream to destroy a virus before it can cause infection. If they don’t, they will have memory cells, which can rapidly produce the necessary antibodies. Vaccination also primes the immune system to produce other responses, such as T cells, which destroy cells infected by the virus. This immune response may take a little time, in which the virus might start to cause a few symptoms. But the effects of the vaccine can still kick in in time to prevent serious illness.
The Oxford jab is less protective against the South African variant – but that's no disaster
The news that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is less protective against the South African variant of Covid-19 has caused a lot of concern. But before we start worrying, we should first be clear about the details. While the current vaccine has less efficacy against the South African variant, it offers only slightly less protection when used on the variant first identified in Kent. And it is still thought to be likely that the vaccine will protect against serious disease caused by the South African variant.
This is an important detail. The current death toll in the UK is frighteningly high. Thousands of people are in hospital being treated for Covid-19, and many more are dying at home. Our first priority is to ease the death toll and the number of hospital admissions, which are overwhelming the NHS. If the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is still effective at preventing serious disease caused by the South African variant, then it should help with both of these things. A vaccine that prevents serious illness is more than adequate for the time being to get the pandemic under control.
In general, vaccines of all types are most effective at preventing severe illness and less effective at preventing mild to moderate illness. Vaccines work by preparing the body’s immune system so that if it encounters the virus, it recognises it immediately. After a person has been vaccinated, they may have sufficient neutralising antibodies circulating in their bloodstream to destroy a virus before it can cause infection. If they don’t, they will have memory cells, which can rapidly produce the necessary antibodies. Vaccination also primes the immune system to produce other responses, such as T cells, which destroy cells infected by the virus. This immune response may take a little time, in which the virus might start to cause a few symptoms. But the effects of the vaccine can still kick in in time to prevent serious illness.
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