COVID-19: Current coronavirus vaccines unlikely to protect against new variants in future, SAGE warns | UK News

Current COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to protect against new variants of the virus in the future, government science advisers have warned.

In an article published on Friday, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said coronavirus may continue to evolve for years and that “eradication is extremely unlikely”.

Experts warn that over time, it is likely that “current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection or even disease caused by new variants.”

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the document, which considers the long-term plan for COVID jabs, says that “the loss of efficacy of vaccines will lead to additional economic and social costs” and “one solution is to update vaccines to keep pace with the evolution of the virus”.

The scientists add that “we should also ask ourselves whether the future vaccination policy will aim to immunize the whole population or only those at risk of serious disease”.

The document, which was produced by the SAGE Vaccine Update Subgroup on May 4, states that current COVID vaccines are based on the “Wuhan-like virus” that emerged in China in 2019.

Additional doses of these vaccines could maintain protection until winter 2021/22 “but potentially less for people with less robust immune responses,” he says.

Scientists say “worryingly” that there is growing evidence that COVID vaccines are less effective in protecting against infections and mild illnesses caused by the South African variant of the virus, compared to the variant Kent.

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Several manufacturers have already started producing updated vaccines for testing …