Conventional coronavirus vaccines should remain effective against mutations for months, England’s deputy chief medical officer has said.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said his “hunch” is that they will not be “harassed” by new versions for several months.
But he warned that the coronavirus is unlikely to be eradicated behind the pandemic and that updated vaccines may need to be used regularly, as is the case with the flu.
The emergence of more infectious strains of Covid-19 in the UK and South Africa has raised concerns about the ability of vaccines to continue to offer protection.
Professor Van-Tam told LBC Radio that the vaccines used induce a “polyclonal response”, stimulating the production of a range of antibodies against various parts of the virus.
“Therefore, the perception that a one-time mutation of the virus in the vaccine is very low,” he said.
“So if we saw an impact, it would be a small pollution rather than a cliff. ”
When asked if an annual flu jab is required, as is the case with flu, Dr Van-Tam said: “I can’t say it will be every year still, but I can say no. we expect to eradicate coronavirus forever. ”
Giving his best estimate of how effective the routine immunization against mutations will be, he said “How long is a piece of string?” but he said: “I’d say it will be many months for the vaccine to work for him, but I don’t base that on data, I base it on hunting.”
Professor Van-Tam, who helped deliver vaccines at a clinic on Tuesday, defended the decision to prioritize people taking the first dose rather than storing products back to offer elevated views.
He acknowledged that data on the protection offered by a single dose will only extend to 42 days but that it is “inconceivable” to assume that the effect will wear off immediately after that date.
The British government aims to offer increased doses after about 10-12 weeks, rather than about three or four weeks as originally planned.
The “limited supply situation” because of the time it takes to produce vaccine doses means the new approach is the right one, he said.
“We have all found old lovers and if we want to protect what we can as quickly as possible, with meaningful protection, the right strategy is for us to give the first dose and return for the second. one when we have given the first dose to more people, ”he said.
“If you have two grandparents and two vaccines, what do you do – will you give two doses to one and leave the other with nothing?”
Asked about the evidence for the protection offered by a single dose, Professor Van-Tam said he was confident there would be “enough”.
“If you give a pure answer and say ‘Where does the data end?’, The data will expire at 42 days (for the Pfizer vaccine),” he said.
“But if you take the point of view from an experienced scientist, it is simply not plausible that the effectiveness of protection disappears after that, and we are very confident that there will be enough protection on board until the second dose is passed. give. “
Professor Van-Tam has previously talked about encouraging his 79-year-old mother to be ready to get vaccinated.
He said he expects to be called within the next 10 days.
“Mum hasn’t had the shot yet; I hope she was invited in the next week or maybe 10 days, she must be very close, she is almost 80. ”