People have been urged not to delay getting the Oxford vaccine, despite concerns that it might be less effective against the South Africa Covid variant.
Early findings from South Africa suggest the vaccine may need updating to be a better match for some emerging new variants of coronavirus. This could be true for other coronavirus vaccines too.
However, the government's deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van Tam, says the "immediate threat" is from the UK or Kent variant and there is "plenty of evidence" the vaccines are effective against that.
Does the vaccine protect against new variants?
The South Africa study, based on about 2,000 young people who had the vaccine, suggests the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine offers limited protection against mild and moderate disease caused by the South Africa variant.
There is no evidence to suggest it would not be effective at preventing more severe cases that need hospital treatment.
In the UK, 147 cases of the South Africa variant have been identified and measures are being introduced to try to limit its spread.
How does the Oxford vaccine work?
It is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees. It has been modified to look more like coronavirus - although it can't cause illness.
Once injected, it teaches the body's immune system how to fight the real virus, should it need to.
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