COVID-19 vaccine: Scientists working on booster shots to protect against virus mutations

Scientists are already developing new versions of existing vaccines after warnings they may not be as effective on mutant variants of the virus.

Scientists are working on booster jabs for existing vaccines after warnings the protection may not be as effective on some mutant strains.

South Africa temporarily halted its rollout of the vaccine when AstraZeneca revealed on Sunday that its shot might only offer “minimal protection” against mild illness from the country’s COVID-19 variant.

But the early trial showed the vaccine did prevent serious illness and deaths from the variant, and Australia’s federal Health Minister Greg Hunt insisted he had no concerns over the jab’s effectiveness.

Despite this, UK Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said experts were already working on new versions of the jabs to offer extra protection against mutant strains.

“Our brilliant scientists and medical advisers are now working on the potential for new versions of existing vaccines to offer further protections against COVID variants,” he wrote in the UK Telegraph.

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A patient in London receives his COVID vaccination. Scientists are already working on new versions to help protect against virus mutations. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

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But he said that even where a vaccine had reduced efficacy in preventing infection, “there may still be good efficacy against severe disease, hospitalisation and death”.

Dr Peter English, a consultant in communicable disease control, told the BBC that he hoped to see new shots tailored to the South African variant available “within months”, since the technology was “well-established”.

Professor Shabir Madhi, from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that the trial showed the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine might offer as little as 10 per cent protection against mild cases of the South African variant.

But he said there was “still some hope” that the vaccine would perform as well as Johnson & Johnson’s jab in protecting older and more vulnerable people against the most severe symptoms.

Professor Sarah Gilbert, lead researcher on the AstraZeneca jab, said a modified version designed to combat the South African strain was likely to be ready to use later in the year.

Lab tests on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine led by the University of Texas found that the vaccine still appeared to be highly effective against the South Africa E484K mutation. South Africa plans to use the Pfizer vaccine instead of AstraZeneca’s shot for the moment.

Early results from Moderna also suggest its vaccine is still effective against the mutant strain.

Initial testing on the Novavax and Janssen jabs suggested they were only slightly less effective against the South African strain.

It raises the possibility that annual COVID jabs could become the norm for vulnerable people as the virus mutates – similar to the flu vaccine.

Mr Hunt said the development had not altered Australia’s rollout plan, which he expected to be complete by the end of October.

The first Pfizer vaccines are due to be administered in late February and AstraZeneca is on track to deliver its vaccines by early March, subject to approval by the TGA.