South Africa has suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine

The vaccines minister said a booster jab to guard against new variants could be required in the autumn (Yui Mok/PA)

Britons face needing a third jab this year amid concerns about the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine’s effectiveness against the South African coronavirus variant.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi was forced to defend the vaccine after a new study in South Africa found it was not effective at preventing mild illness caused by the more infectious mutation.