Oxford Covid vaccine has 10% efficacy against South African variant, study suggests

Small-scale trial of vaccine shows it offers very little protection against mild to moderate infection

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The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offers as little as 10% protection against the Covid variant first seen in South Africa, researchers have suggested.

Scientists who conducted a small-scale trial of the vaccine's efficacy said it showed very little protection against mild to moderate infection, though they expressed hope that - in theory - it would still offer significant protection against more serious infection.