Don't let fears over variants stop you from getting a COVID shot, says medical officer

England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam urged people on Monday to take the COVID-19 vaccination if offered, saying that a so-called South African variant of the disease would not overtake the current virus in the next few months. Britain's government are increasingly concerned that people might decide not to get vaccinated now because they believe that new vaccinations will have to be made to tackle new variants.

"Early data on modelling ... does not suggest that the South African variant has a distinct transmissibility advantage over our current virus, and because of that there is no reason to think the South African variant will catch up or overtake our current virus in the next few months," he told a news conference. "Please don't delay if you're called, take the advantage to protect yourself against the ... immediate threat."

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