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* Minister expects annual vaccinations may be needed
* Govt not planning vaccine passports -Nadhim Zahawi
* UK reports a further 15,845 cases, 373 deaths
(Adds latest figures, line on vaccine passports)
By Costas Pitas
LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A COVID-19 booster in the autumn
and then annual vaccinations are very probable, Britain's
vaccine deployment minister said on Sunday as countries race to
administer injections in the face of new variants.
Britain has already injected over 12 million first doses of
COVID-19 vaccines and is on track to meet a target to vaccinate
everyone in the top most vulnerable groups by mid-February.
Among coronavirus variants currently most concerning for
scientists and public health experts are the so-called British,
South African and Brazilian variants, which appear to spread
more swiftly than others.
"We see very much probably an annual or a booster in the
autumn and then an annual (vaccination), in the way we do with
flu vaccinations where you look at what variant of virus is
spreading around the world," Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC's Andrew
Marr Show.
AstraZeneca said on Saturday its vaccine developed
with the University of Oxford appeared to offer only limited
protection against mild disease caused by the South African
variant of COVID-19, based on early data from a trial.
Britain reported on Sunday a further 15,845 cases and 373
deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to official
figures.
The success of the UK's vaccine rollout, however, is
spurring debate about how soon the government can ease broader
lockdown restrictions, amid plans to reopen schools in England
in March.
As some nations consider a vaccine passport to enable the
easing of travel measures, Zahawi said Britain would not
introduce such a system but people could seek proof from their
doctor if needed.
"That's not how we do things in the UK. We do them by
consent," he said. "We yet don't know what the impact of
vaccines on transmission is and it would be discriminatory."
(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Susan
Fenton)
