AstraZeneca began trials for modified booster vaccine against Beta variant of COVID-19. On Sunday, AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford started fresh trials to test an improved vaccine against the Beta form, which was first discovered in South Africa.
Around 2,250 people from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, and Poland will take part in the 'booster' vaccine trial. The individuals involved in the trial will include those who have received two doses of the original Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccination or a Pfizer mRNA vaccine, along with those who have not received the vaccine at all.
"Testing booster doses of existing vaccines and a new variant, vaccines are important to ensure we are best prepared to stay ahead of the pandemic coronavirus, should their use be needed," said Andrew Pollard, chief investigator, and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford.
If the experts of the country are to be believed, despite Britain carrying out a successful vaccine rollout program, uncertainty about how long the protection of the vaccine will last in a person’s body still remains.
According to Maheshi Ramasamy, Principal Investigator at the Oxford Vaccine Group, "this study will provide vital evidence on whether further doses including 'tweaks' against new virus variants may be needed in the future".
The first results of these trials are expected to be released later this year.
The existing vaccines are thought to be less efficacious against the Beta version, however, the Delta variant which developed in India, is the reason for the most concern right now.
Despite the fact that the primary vaccines are considered to be highly efficient at avoiding serious illness, the Delta variant's infectious characteristics have resulted in an increase in cases in some countries, including the United Kingdom. The UK saw a rise of 35.204 cases in the last week taking the total case tally to 111,157.