There have been 11 cases of the South African variant of Covid-19 detected in Ireland. Read MoreA study from the University of Texas found that the AstraZeneca vaccine offered as little as 10pc protection from the South African variant. “We are concerned about the data in relation to the South African variant,” said Dr Cillian de Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory this evening. There is also no “firm conclusion” that shows the South African variant makes people more sicker. Dr Glynn maintained that the South African variant “won’t have an impact” on the vaccine roll-out here as the dominant strain remains the British variant.

Source: Irish Independent February 08, 2021 19:41 UTC