THE CURRENT batch of coronavirus vaccines should protect against new strains circulating in the UK, a scientist has said.

Professor Andrew Pollard, who is director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said that we are likely to see more variants throughout 2021.

He told the Today programme: “As we look forward through 2021, we’re going to see lots of new variants and we’re going to have to get used to that.

“But the critical question is whether some of these new variants are adapting because of immunity amongst human populations – whether that is because of infection… or indeed as a result of vaccination.”

But he said that new variants were being detected early, and stressed: “If indeed we do need to make new vaccines we will be able to stand those up really quickly.”

Yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the closure of all travel corridors after a number of new coronavirus variants have been identified in recent months.

The most recent of these are two new strains from Brazil, which are “likely” already in the UK.

Additionally, a variant from South Africa has been causing concern.

Professor John Edmunds, who works on the Government’s coronavirus response as part of the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), said: "In terms of the South African one, we had imported cases already by the time we put in additional restrictions for South African travellers.

“For the Brazilian one… I don’t think there is evidence that we’ve imported cases of the Manaus strain, as far as I’m aware at least, but it is likely that we probably have quite honestly.

“We are one of the most connected countries in the world so I would find it unusual if we hadn’t imported some cases into the UK.”

Two variants of interest have been identified in Brazil; the first has a small number of mutations and eight genomically confirmed cases of this variant have been identified in the UK.

The second, which has been detected in Manaus and in travellers arriving in Japan, has not been detected in the UK.

He added that removing coronavirus restrictions at the end of next month would be a “disaster” and put “enormous pressure” on the NHS.

“I think it would be a disaster if we removed restrictions in, say, the end of February when we have gone through this first wave of the vaccination.

“First of all vaccines aren’t ever 100 per cent protective, and so even those that have been vaccinated would be still at some risk.

“Secondly, it is only a small fraction of the population who would have been vaccinated and if you look at the hospitalisations at the moment, about half of them are in the under 70s, and they are not in the first wave to be vaccinated.

“If we relaxed our restrictions we would immediately put the NHS under enormous pressure again.”