United Nations: Covid vaccines are working against all variants of SARS-CoV2 virus at this point of time in preventing severe disease and death. However, in the future if there is a need, we may have to redesign our vaccines to adapt to new variants, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist with World Health Organisation (WHO), said on Sunday.
“We don’t know if that will be required for Covid-19 at this point of time, as our current vaccines are working against existing variants of concern. In future if we need to, we may have to change the composition of vaccines and we need to be prepared for that. Therefore, sequencing and surveillance are important,” the WHO chief scientist said while speaking as the chief guest at the Think Again Conclave lecture series organised as part of BITS, Pilani’s 40th edition of APOGEE, the institute’s annual technical extravaganza held from April 7-10.