We're Confident Vaccines Will Be Effective Against All Variants, Says Prime Minister

Coronavirus: PM’s Pledge

- Macer Hall

Boris Johnson has “increasing confidence” that current vaccines are effective against new variants of Covid-19 – including the highly-infectious Indian strain.

Raising hopes that his roadmap out of lockdown remains on track, the Prime Minister yesterday told MPs that latest scientific evidence showed the injections are working to curb the pandemic.

The spread of the Indian variant, with almost 3,000 confirmed cases of it across the UK, has raised fears that England’s timetable out of Covid-19 restrictions could be delayed.

And last night the PM urged people to “keep getting your jab” after official figures revealed that seven out of 10 Britons have now had at least one dose of virustackling vaccine.

People aged 34 and 35 are expected to start getting invitations from the NHS to have their first jabs from today.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Johnson said he had been given fresh data about the spread of the virus yesterday morning.

He said: “I can tell the House that we have increasing confidence that vaccines are effective against all variants, including the Indian variant.”

He praised residents in areas hit by surges in the Indian strain for taking part in the accelerated jabs effort.

The Prime Minister said: “In this context, I want particularly to thank the people of Bolton, Blackburn and many other places who have been coming forward in record numbers to get vaccinated – to get their first and second jabs.