Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
This has been known for at least a week and probably up to three weeks. It is the South African variant and there is also a Brazilian variant, Kent variant and now a Bristol variant. There will be more to be sure.Just read that University of Edinburgh have discovered a mutation that renders the vaccines pretty useless. 33 cases picked up in U.K. to date
The SA one is the most worrying because it is apparently fairly resistant to the AZ/Oxford vaccine, although the two others used in the UK so far seem to be more effective. In the test in SA, which was a very small study, it seems that the AZ/Oxford vaccine is only between 10 and 20% effective against that variant, but is suspected, but not known for certain that it will still prevent severe cases and hospitalisation for the vast majority. It is a fluid situation but the vaccine designers are already working on second generation products with this type of variant very much in mind.