London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Matt Hancock warns South African variant ‘could cut vaccine efficacy’

Matt Hancock warns South African variant ‘could cut vaccine efficacy’

Matt Hancock has warned there is potential evidence a mutated strain of coronavirus that was detected in South Africa could reduce the effectiveness of vaccines by 50 per cent.
The Health Secretary said “there is evidence in the public domain, although we are not sure of this data” and said the variant is being tested at the Government’s Porton Down research facility as well as in a clinical trial in South Africa to check the efficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

Chief scientist Sir Patrick Vallance also urged caution regarding the data.

He told a Downing Street press conference on Friday that while there is “a cause for concern”, it is too early to know whether that particular variant is more resistant to vaccines.

Mr Hancock’s comments came from what is reportedly a recording of an online webinar with travel agents this week, obtained by MailOnline.

He said: “There is evidence in the public domain, although we are not sure of this data so I wouldn’t say this in public, but that the South African variant reduces by about 50 per cent the vaccine efficacy.”

He added: “We’re testing that and we’ve got some of the South African variant in Porton Down, and we’re testing it.

“We’ve got a clinical trial in South Africa to check that the AstraZeneca vaccine works.

“Nevertheless, if we vaccinated the population, and then you got in a new variant that evaded the vaccine, then we’d be back to square one.”

Sir Patrick said 44 people in the UK have the South African variant, according to figures from Public Health England, with a maximum estimate of 71 having it.

He added that there is “no evidence that the South African or Brazilian variants” are more transmissible than what is already in the UK and therefore “they won’t be expected to spread more quickly or take over”.

“We will find out how effective the vaccines are against this,” said Sir Patrick.

“It is the case that both the South African and Brazilian identified variants have more differences in shape which might mean they are recognised differently by antibodies.

“I think it is too early to know the effect that will have on the vaccination in people and it is worth remembering that the response of the vaccine is very, very high antibody levels, so they may overcome some of this.

“We don’t know but there’s obviously a cause for concern.”

During the press conference, Boris Johnson revealed there is now “some evidence” that another Covid variant detected in the UK may be more deadly.

But while the UK variant has been associated with a higher mortality, Sir Patrick said evidence is growing from multiple sources that vaccines will work against the UK coronavirus strain.

Professor Chris Whitty explained that it is possible that even if the current vaccines had reduced efficacy they could still be able to protect against severe disease.

He told the press conference: “It is possible, we don’t know this, that what we could end up with is that the current vaccines still protect to a large degree against severe disease and dying, even if they are less effective against infection.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×