Bengaluru: Amid concerns over JN.1 cases in India and adverse effects of Covid vaccines, Sir Andrew John Pollard, the chief investigator of the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trials and the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, spoke exclusively to TOI. Sir Pollard, a professor of paediatric infection and immunity, has been instrumental in saving over 6.5 million lives.Excerpts:
Heart attacks and strokes among the middle-aged are increasingly being reported nowadays in countries like India. Many attribute these to Covid vaccines. What’s your take on it?
Common conditions were prevalent before the pandemic and there is no evidence that there is a change in the rates of these conditions caused by vaccines. The global regulators monitor safety of vaccines very closely and they have not observed any link to increasing ailments such as these.
Will we have vaccines that can tackle the newer strains of Covid-19?
Vaccines for new strains of Covid-19 are modifications of the existing licensed vaccines and so this work is largely led by the pharmaceutical companies who make Covid-19 vaccines.
How is JN.1 similar to or different from previous variants? How worried should we be?
JN.1, an Omicron sub variant derived from the BA.2.86 family of Covid-19 viruses has become the dominant strain in many countries including India. It is more transmissible than the past variants.
The previous variants disappear because of increasing immunity (from vaccination and infection). It stops the old variants in their tracks and a new variant emerges which outcompetes the previous ones. So, in many ways, JN.1 is just the new kid which is spreading well and outcompeting the previous Omicron variant, which is having a tough time because the populations immunity against it is strong.
Compared with 2020, the big difference today is that we all have some immunity to the Covid-19 viruses and so the increased spread is not as serious as it once was. Most of us will just get a mild but sometimes unpleasant viral illness when we meet JN.1. Some people with underlying health conditions will end up getting more unwell even with a mild infection, and indeed with any virus, not just JN.1 but also influenza.
India has been witnessing a spike in Covid cases since December
Spikes in Covid cases will occur each time a new variant emerges which can spread more easily. With the current variants spreading more easily, there will be more cases. However, most of these cases are not serious, unlike the situation that prevailed in 2020/21.
How effective is Covishield in tackling JN.1?
I don’t have data on the impact of Covishield on mild JN.1 cases, but it is important to say the vaccination programmes have stopped the serious cases that were seen on a huge scale in the pandemic, and they continue to be effective against that.
Heart attacks and strokes among the middle-aged are increasingly being reported nowadays in countries like India. Many attribute these to Covid vaccines. What’s your take on it?
Common conditions were prevalent before the pandemic and there is no evidence that there is a change in the rates of these conditions caused by vaccines. The global regulators monitor safety of vaccines very closely and they have not observed any link to increasing ailments such as these.
Will we have vaccines that can tackle the newer strains of Covid-19?
Vaccines for new strains of Covid-19 are modifications of the existing licensed vaccines and so this work is largely led by the pharmaceutical companies who make Covid-19 vaccines.
How is JN.1 similar to or different from previous variants? How worried should we be?
JN.1, an Omicron sub variant derived from the BA.2.86 family of Covid-19 viruses has become the dominant strain in many countries including India. It is more transmissible than the past variants.
The previous variants disappear because of increasing immunity (from vaccination and infection). It stops the old variants in their tracks and a new variant emerges which outcompetes the previous ones. So, in many ways, JN.1 is just the new kid which is spreading well and outcompeting the previous Omicron variant, which is having a tough time because the populations immunity against it is strong.
Compared with 2020, the big difference today is that we all have some immunity to the Covid-19 viruses and so the increased spread is not as serious as it once was. Most of us will just get a mild but sometimes unpleasant viral illness when we meet JN.1. Some people with underlying health conditions will end up getting more unwell even with a mild infection, and indeed with any virus, not just JN.1 but also influenza.
India has been witnessing a spike in Covid cases since December
Spikes in Covid cases will occur each time a new variant emerges which can spread more easily. With the current variants spreading more easily, there will be more cases. However, most of these cases are not serious, unlike the situation that prevailed in 2020/21.
How effective is Covishield in tackling JN.1?
I don’t have data on the impact of Covishield on mild JN.1 cases, but it is important to say the vaccination programmes have stopped the serious cases that were seen on a huge scale in the pandemic, and they continue to be effective against that.