Vaccines may protect against severe disease even as variants evolve, Oxford's Pollard says

Rent.com.au

03/02/2021 07:36

LONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - COVID-19 vaccines might offer
protection against severe disease even as coronavirus variants
evolve to better allow continued transmission between people,
the head of the Oxford Vaccine Group Andrew Pollard said on
Wednesday.
    Asked how effective the Oxford/AstraZeneca  AZN.L  will be
against new variants, he said "they are making changes that
allow them to avoid human immune responses, so that they can
still transmit." 
    "So, that does mean that it's likely over time that the
virus will find ways of adapting so that can continue to pass
between people," he told BBC TV.
    "But that doesn't mean that we won't still have protection
against severe disease... The virus is much more about the virus
being able to continue to survive, rather than trying to cause
harm to us."

 (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Kate Holton)
 ((alistair.smout@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 7064; Reuters
Messaging: alistair.smout.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))