London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Covid: Vaccine protection still strong - Oxford jab creator

Covid: Vaccine protection still strong - Oxford jab creator

The vaccines are still providing strong protection, a year on from the initial two doses, says the scientist who developed the Oxford-AZ vaccine.

The UK's vaccine advisory body is set to decide whether booster doses against Covid-19 are needed this autumn.

Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert told the BBC that offering a third booster dose to millions of people was "a complex decision".

And she called for more vaccines to be licensed to increase supplies.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has already said a third top-up dose should be offered to people with severely weakened immune systems, which accounts for up to half a million people in the UK.

But it has not decided if booster doses are needed to extend protection in larger numbers of people at high risk from Covid-19, including those normally eligible for a flu jab.

The UK reported a further 37,622 coronavirus cases on Friday, according to the latest government figures.

There have also been another 147 deaths of people who tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days.

Prof Gilbert, who began designing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in early 2020 when Covid first emerged in China, said there were no signs of immunity waning in ongoing trials of the vaccine, which started in April 2020.

Blood tests on volunteers who had been vaccinated more than a year ago, showed they had signs of good protection.

"It's the first dose of the vaccine that has the most impact, whoever you give that vaccine too," she said.

"We get good protection after a single dose and then it's improved by a second dose and we would expect to see it being maintained or possibly slightly improved then by third dose.

"As we would expect, with any other vaccine, we are seeing strong maintenance of the [immune] response."

'More doses needed'


Prof Gilbert also said the world needed more doses and more vaccine supplies, so there didn't need to be a choice between vaccinating one country over another.

"More doses are becoming available and we need to focus on getting those doses to countries that really need them," she said, adding that many African countries had only vaccinated 2% of their population.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Thursday he was awaiting "final advice" from the JCVI, but was "confident" a booster programme would start later this month.

Interim advice issued by the JCVI in July suggested more than 30 million people should receive a booster dose, including all adults over 50.

The UK medicines regulator (MHRA) has approved the use of Pfizer and AstraZeneca as Covid booster vaccines, paving the way for a rollout ahead of the winter.

Prof Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, agreed there is a "fire raging all around the world with huge pressure on health systems in many, many countries".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the UK had a "moral obligation" to help other countries, adding: "There is such a big risk, morally from our perspective - there's a risk to trade, there's a risk to economies, but also these are our friends and colleagues who need to be protected, and we are losing them every day that goes by."

Sir Andrew also said the UK still had high levels of protection from the virus, despite the fall in levels of people's immune response after having had the vaccine. The JCVI needs to look at the issue of who is ending up in hospital after being infected as part of its considerations, he added.

More than 48.3 million people in the UK - 88.8% of the population aged over 16 - have had a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, while 43.7 million have had both doses.

The UK has ordered more than 540 million doses of seven of the most promising vaccines, including the four so far approved for use - Pfizer, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna and Janssen.

However, there are vast differences in the pace of progress in different parts of the world, and the government has pledged to donate 100 million surplus jabs to poorer countries before the middle of 2022.


Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert: "We need more doses so we're not talking about choices"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
×