The Covid-19 vaccine programme is to start earlier than planned this year, after a new variant of the virus which causes Covid-19 was detected in the UK on August 18.
NHS officials said the variant, known as BA.2.86, represents the most concerning new variant since Omicron first emerged. It is not classified as a “variant of concern”, but scientists have said it carries 34 mutations in its spike protein – Omicron had at least 32 mutations, hence the worry.
It is the first time that a variant with so many mutations has been seen since Omicron swept across the globe in 2021. BA.2.86 has been detected in several countries including Israel, Denmark, South Africa and the United States so far, although Covid surveillance is not a priority anymore as it was two years ago.
Nevertheless, the Department of Health and Social Care announced that vaccinations would start on September 11 following advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). It was due to start in October.
John Edmunds, a professor in the Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the change “makes sense”. However, he pointed out there was no cause for concern at this stage.
“BA.2.86 is characterised by a large number of mutations, many of which might be expected to help the virus evade existing immune responses. It makes sense, therefore, to bring forward the planned autumn vaccination campaign to ensure that those at highest risk of Covid have their protection topped up.
“It should be said, however, that this is a precautionary measure. Our genomic surveillance suggests that BA.2.86 is still at low prevalence, and although this strain has been identified in a number of different countries, it is not yet clear whether it is replacing existing strains in any of these settings.”
Claire Steves, professor of aging and health at King’s College London, welcomed the earlier start for two reasons. “We know from consistent research that older and frailer individuals (for example those in care homes) although at more risk of infection, are still protected by vaccination,” she said.
“We also know that the immunity they get from vaccines wanes the more time since the vaccination, which means they need topping up if we are suspecting a new wave of the pandemic.
“While it’s not known for sure yet, it’s likely that broader immunity (for example to new variants like this BA.2.86) is better with higher levels of circulating antibodies, which means its likely that even though this vaccine is not designed for this particular variant, it is a good chance it will help to reduce risk, especially in the first three months after vaccination.
“I would certainly support this booster campaign for more my more vulnerable patients. It makes sense to vaccinate for flu at the same time. Our previous experience indicates that this is well tolerated and makes logistical sense.”
The first cases of the rapidly mutating Covid variant have now also been identified in Scotland. On August 29, the first case of BA.2.86 was identified through PCR testing in Scotland on a sample collected on August 16, Public Health Scotland (PHS) said.
Scottish wastewater surveillance data shows the presence of the Covid mutation in a different NHS Health Board – meaning it has been found in at least two different areas of the country.
A PHS spokesperson said. “Scotland’s winter vaccination programme begins ahead of England on Monday, September 4. Public Health Scotland continues to monitor Covid-19 variants and will consider any changes to the winter vaccination programme as a result.”
Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said: “There’s currently no publicly available data to suggest that BA.2.86 is able to overwhelm present levels of immunity to the most serious, life-threatening forms of Covid-19.
“However, some people are more vulnerable to the worst effects of the virus and we shouldn’t forget that immunity wanes over time. The mutations present in BA.2.86 mean that there are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding how it will behave come the winter when there is increased risk of Covid-19 making people seriously ill, so health authorities have taken the decision to get the vaccination programme started three weeks sooner than originally planned.
“This will only be our fourth winter with Covid-19, so science and medicine still have a lot to learn about how the weather influences spread of this particular virus. Operationally it just makes sense to get the ball rolling and to not do it at the same time as the flu jab would be folly, people might not bother going for the second jab or mistakenly assume that one jab protects against two very different viruses.”
