Trial of first coronavirus variant vaccine, Oxford/AstraZeneca, under way

Covid-19 news: Trial of first coronavirus variant vaccine under way The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper and Layal Liverpool New Scientist

Trial of tweaked version of Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine under way, in effort to boost immunity against beta variant

The first participants received a slightly modified version of the Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine, designed to be more effective against the beta variant of coronavirus, as part of a new trial which started on 27 June. The trial will involve about 2250 participants across the UK, South Africa, Brazil and Poland. The modified vaccine will be given to people who have previously been fully vaccinated with two doses of the original AstraZeneca vaccine, or with an mRNA covid-19 vaccine, at least three months after their most recent jab.

“The UK vaccine roll out programme has been incredibly successful at preventing hospitalisations and deaths, but we don’t know how long protection lasts,” said Maheshi Ramasamy at the University of Oxford, in a statement. “This study will provide vital evidence on whether further doses including ‘tweaks’ against new virus variants may be needed in the future.”

Meanwhile, a small, preliminary study by researchers at the University of Oxford found that giving people a third dose of the original AstraZeneca vaccine boosted their immune response against the virus, including against the variants alpha, beta and delta, the Guardian reported. The study, which hasn’t been peer-reviewed, included 30 participants who received a third dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at least six months after they had received their second dose.