UK Health Secretary Javid urges for more COVID-19 tests amid rising Omicron cases and vaccine developments
pharmafile | December 1, 2021 | News story | Research and Development |
Health secretary of the UK, Sajid Javid, has urged the public to take lateral flow tests before attending parties this winter, and was unable to positively respond to Tory MP Richard Drax’s request to “never ever go back to locking this country down” in light of the emerging Omicron variant. A number of pharmaceutical firms have responded to the threat presented by the newly discovered mutation by adapting their vaccines to target the Omicron variant.
Novavax has shared it has “already initiated development of a new recombinant spike protein based on the known genetic sequence of B.1.1.529 and will have it ready to begin testing and manufacturing within the next few weeks.”
Javid informed MPs of concerns around the variant’s transmissibility, which may be higher than other mutations, making existing vaccines less effective. This may also hinder one of the UK’s treatments for COVID-19, Ronapreve, which was the first dedicated medicine for COVID-19 to receive marketing authorisation from the MHRA.
Javid also shared that new COVID-19 rules brought in by the government to tackle the new variant could last less than three weeks, and that a planned review of rules in England may be brought forward earlier than planned. COVID-19 deaths in the UK have averaged 100 a day since mid-August.
The Health Secretary suggested that the possible impact of the Omicron variant will be known in around two weeks, ahead of the government’s three-week review of restrictions. The government has responded to the variant by re-imposing compulsory mask-wearing in England inside shops, and on public transport. The government has also promised to increase the capacity of the booster vaccine programme.
Minutes leaked to the BBC revealed that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) held a meeting on 29 November, stating officials must prepare for a new wave of infections.
Ana Ovey
