Professor John Edmunds of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) spoke to BBC’s Radio 4 Today and said: “The Beta variant has remained a threat throughout.
“It is probably less infectious than the Delta variant that is spreading here in the UK at the moment. Where it has an advantage is that it is able to escape the immune response to a better extent.”
He continued: “As the population here becomes more and more immune, the conditions are right then for the Beta variant to get an advantage, so I can understand the concern.
READ RELATED: Alcoholic water emerges as new booze trend in Australia as pubs clear the shelves for new arrivals
“Of the variants that are out there and are known about, that one has always been a threat to us. There is some good evidence from South Africa that it can evade the immune response generated by the AstraZeneca vaccine more efficiently.”
READ MORE: ‘Pathetic’ Macron torn apart over ‘inapplicable’ Covid vaccine plan
Source: Daily Express
