Plans for Producing Tailored Vaccines for Mutated COVID-19 Strains

Under the headline "Britain... Plans to Produce Tailored Vaccines for Mutated COVID-19 Strains," Sky News Arabia reported on a new vaccine against mutated strains of COVID-19. In a new step towards combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oxford Vaccine Group in Britain unveiled its plans to produce vaccines specifically designed to combat mutated strains of the novel coronavirus. Professor Andrew Pollard, the group's director, expects that the developed vaccines targeting the new strains will be ready by September. The mutations of the coronavirus that have led to the emergence of new strains in dozens of countries raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of current vaccines. However, Pollard, who oversaw the trials for the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, stated that the current vaccines provide some level of protection against the mutated strains, emphasizing that the COVID-19 pandemic will not be a pressing issue for the country in the coming months. In a media interview marking the one-year anniversary of the first person receiving a COVID-19 vaccine dose during clinical trials, he clarified that victory over the COVID-19 pandemic had seemed unlikely just a year ago. Pollard indicated in comments to the British newspaper "Daily Mail" that vaccines are the solution to escape the cycle of endless lockdowns worldwide. The British scientist praised the crowds that came forward to participate in the clinical trials last year, which facilitated the development and introduction of vaccines.