UK ministers seek to reassure over Oxford vaccine as concern grows over variants

Olivia Smart, advanced practitioner and Leeds Ladies FC defender, vaccinates Mewa Singh Khela, 72, with his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine at the Elland Road vaccination centre in Leeds Photo: Danny Lawson/PA

Ministers have sought to reassure the public over the effectiveness of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as experts warned it was “very possible” the South African variant is already quite widespread in the UK.

A study of around 2,000 people has shown the jab only offers minimal protection against mild disease of the South Africa variant and, due to the young age of participants, could not conclude whether the jab worked against severe disease.