With the vaccine rollout going so well and daily deaths dwindling to single figures, the challenge now is how to future-proof our shield against the virus - and prevent the need for another lockdown
So, topping up the protection of the over-80s, perhaps along with their flu jab, makes complete sense.
They then stand the best chance of remaining fit and well through the winter months when respiratory viruses are more common.Is it just another dose of one of the existing vaccines? They give excellent protection against the originalThey are also likely to prevent many - but probably not all - cases of severe disease caused by the South African and Brazilian variants of the virus, which have mutations that help them to evade the immune system.
So, the alternative strategy is to give a vaccine that has been tweaked to be more effective against the more threatening versions of the virus.Moderna and Pfizer already have clinical trials of updated vaccines underway and other manufacturers are planning new formulations of their jabs. But switching to protection against emerging virus has a peril - there is a danger of jumping too soon.
So far there have been fewer than 1,000 known cases caused by the South African and Brazilian variants in the UK - and keeping immunity topped up against the more common strains may be more important.The virus will also keep evolving.Public Health England's decision toPlease use Chrome browser for a more accessible video playerIt will give scientists and vaccine manufacturers an early warning of a problem.
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