Defence secretary: Covid will be ‘ongoing challenge’ to the world

The UK defence secretary has said the UK must “be alert” to new variants of the coronavirus.

Speaking on BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show, Ben Wallace said mutations of the virus present an “ongoing challenge” to the world.

Mr Wallace said vaccines must be “constantly developed” to provide protection against different strains that emerge.

His comments come after early trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid jab suggested it gives limited protection against mild disease caused by the South Africa variant.

AstraZeneca also said it had not yet determined whether the vaccine protects against severe disease caused by this variant.