As per a latest study, the Covishield vaccine developed by the joint efforts of AstraZeneca and Oxford University has proved similar efficacy countering the UK variant of the coronavirus as that of the previous variants.
UK variant known as B.1.1.7 is associated with the higher transmission rate and a relatively higher mortality figures as compared to the other covid variants. The variant is said to have unusually high number of mutations.
Andrew Pollard, chief investigator on the vaccine study stated, “Data from our trials of the ChAdOx1 vaccine in the United Kingdom indicate that the vaccine not only protects against the original pandemic virus, but also protects against the novel variant, B.1.1.7, which caused the surge in disease from the end of 2020 across the UK”.
Even though the findings are not peer-reviewed yet but the recent analysis indicates that the vaccine may reduce the transmission of the disease.