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Evening Standard Comment: Testing and vaccines vital in Covid variant fight

 (Christian Adams)
(Christian Adams)

Ask a minister or scientist what single factor is most likely to derail the fight against Covid-19, and the answer will be variants.

The roll-out of surge testing in Wandsworth and Lambeth after a cluster of cases of the South African variant was discovered is testament to the threat that mutations pose.

As such, it is crucial that residents take a PCR test, regardless of whether they have symptoms. According to government figures, there have been 533 genomically confirmed cases of the South African variant in the UK and another 11 probable cases.

Professor Peter Openshaw, who advises the Government, has warned that the rapid spread of variants could lead to the reimposition of lockdown measures. Genetic mutations are epidemiologically unremarkable.

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Indeed, new variants should not automatically be assumed to be dangerous, although the UK’s speed in identifying the B.1.1.7 or Kent variant demonstrates our position as a world leader in genetic sequencing.

Initial data on vaccine efficacy against the South African strain is concerning. A small-scale trial found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab provides 10 per cent protection against infection, far below that of other strains.

This is reason to clamp down on outbreaks in the UK, but not for panic. Ideally, vaccines would prevent transmission and infection of all variants.

Yet stopping serious cases, which cause hospitalisation and death, is the crucial metric. Vaccines, including Oxford-AstraZeneca, are effective in doing this.

The total eradication of Covid-19 should be our aim, but reducing it to endemic status, where vaccines and other treatments prevent serious illness, would be a historic success.

Ultimately, we need to be as flexible as the virus. That means taking the current set of vaccines and any booster shots that may become available. It means embracing the joys of outdoor activities — even if that means a wine bar rather than rock climbing.

And, of course, some of our most effective tools against Covid-19 work for all variants. Socialising outdoors, wearing a mask inside and opening windows.

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