UK set to buy new Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine designed to protect against South African variant of Covid-19

Britain is set to buy a new version of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine specifically tailored against the South African variant of coronavirus as local areas step up efforts to protect their population amid a rise in cases. Matt Hancock is planning to announce that the Government is helping to fund clinical trials of a tweaked version of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab which is designed to protect against the South African strain, i understands. Although less transmissible than the Indian variant, this strain – recently renamed Delta – is thought to be significantly resistant to the current vaccines.