The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine might offer less protection against the South African strain of Covid-19. <br /> <br />A small study suggests that the jab is not effective against mild illness caused by the South African variant. <br /> <br />But scientists are hopeful that the vaccine will still work to prevent severe cases and deaths. <br /> <br />In the UK, ministers have sought to reassure the public over the effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, as experts warned it was "very possible" the South African variant is already quite widespread in the country. <br /> <br />British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government is “very confident in all the vaccines that we're using.” <br /> <br />More than 12 million people have been vaccinated in the UK so far. <br /> <br />Meanwhile, scientists are already working on an Oxford-AstraZeneca booster against the South African variant, which could be ready as soon as this autumn. Report by Avagninag. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
