Scientists warn Covid vaccine won’t be a ‘silver bullet’ amid claims coronavirus is mutating

British Government told UK jab could ease symptoms instead of giving immunity

Scientists are warning the coronavirus vaccine may not give everyone immunity. Reuters

British scientists have warned the country's first coronavirus vaccine won’t be the “silver bullet” that ends the pandemic and could only alleviate symptoms instead of giving full immunity.

England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty said he believed the vaccine may only be effective 40 to 60 per cent of the time - similar to the flu jab.

University of Oxford scientists have set the vaccine a minimum effectiveness of 50 per cent, claiming a jab that could cut the pandemic in half would be hugely beneficial.

A US study claimed the virus was mutating to get around face masks. AFP

However, a UK-based research institute said the government should “manage people’s expectations” and stressed the vaccine may not prevent people from catching Covid-19.

Charlie Weller, head of vaccines at the Wellcome Trust, told The Times the jab was "not going to be a perfect solution".

“They are likely not to provide full immunity or be fully effective for every age group and for every person. That’s a big ask — that you’re 100 per cent effective on every age group and every person, so it’s likely that we won’t get that,” she said.

She added: “We need to manage everyone's expectations on what these first frontrunners of vaccines can actually do.”

The warnings came as a US study claimed coronavirus could be mutating to get around mask-wearing and other forms of social distancing.

David Morens, a virologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said a future vaccine may need to be “tinkered with” as there was a strong possibility the virus had become more contagious.

He said the virus had potentially improved in responding to social distancing as it worked its way through the population.

"Wearing masks, washing our hands, all those things are barriers to transmissibility or contagion, but as the virus becomes more contagious it statistically is better at getting around those barriers," he told the Washington Post.

Mr Morens warned of implications for future vaccines if the virus was able to mutate and combat immunity.

He said: “If that happened, we’d be in the same situation as with flu. We’ll have to chase the virus and, as it mutates, we’ll have to tinker with our vaccine.”

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Coronavirus Britain: in pictures

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  Commuters at Waterloo station in London. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealed for resolve and a “spirit of togetherness” through the winter as he unveiled new restrictions. AP Photo

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  People board a bus outside Waterloo station in London. AP Photo

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  People wearing protective face masks make their way through Waterloo station during the morning rush hour on Wednesday morning. Reuters

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  Children of keyworkers at Sheringham Primary School, Norfolk created this huge rainbow for the NHS on their playground. Some of the children's parents are nurses who have been working on the Covid ward at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital

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  NHS workers react at the Royal London Hospital during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. Reuters

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  Employees make NHS uniforms at a factory in Dukinfield, Britain. The coronavirus pandemic has made the need to address the rapidly ageing workforce more urgent. Reuters

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  NHS workers wearing personal protective equipment as UK releases latest coronavirus data. Oli SCARFF / AFP

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  A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past a closed theatre, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in London. Reuters

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  Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock launches review into how coronavirus affects ethnic minorities. AFP

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  Captain Sir Tom Moore beat his original target of raising £1,000. Reuters

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  A pedestrian passes the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters office building, centre, in the Canary Wharf business, financial and shopping district of London, UK Bloomberg

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  British Airways will retire its Boeing 747 fleet immediately due to a drop in demand from the coronavirus pandemic. Courtesy British Airways

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  The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak's 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme has been successful. EPA

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  A man wearing a facemask walks across London Bridge. The OECD area economy contracted a record 9.8% in the second quarter of 2020. AFP

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  Stay-at-home orders wiped out 20 per cent of the British economy in the first half of 2020. AFP

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  A social distancing sign in Oxford Street, London, usually one of the country's busiest shopping streets. Reuters

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  Commuters walk over London bridge during the morning rush hour, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in London. Reuters

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  Empty shelves from a Sainsbury's supermarket in London, UK, as shoppers in the British capital stockpile goods in advance of strict lockdown measures to fight coronavirus. Emma Sky for The National

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  The UK is still under a virtual lockdown. Reuters

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  Deserted streets in Cambridge amid the UK's coronavirus lockdown. Reuters

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  Minsters have condemned UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to abolish the Department for International Development on Tuesday. AFP

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  People queue at a walk in Covid-19 testing centre in Bolton, England. Fears about rising infection rates among younger people across the UK has forced the government into tighter lockdown restrictions. Getty

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  Cars queue for Covid-19 drive-in testing centre in Bolton, England. Fears about rising infection rates among younger people across the UK has forced the government into tighter lockdown restrictions. Getty

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  A person is detained during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square against the lockdown imposed by the government, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London,. Reuters