Scientists at the University of Oxford are working on new versions of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, which should protect against the mutated variants of the coronavirus that have emerged in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, British newspaper The Telegraph reports.

The team behind the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine is looking into the feasibility of redeveloping the technology behind the vaccine, The Telegraph writes. The British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca referred to the University of Oxford for comment.

A university spokesperson says it is carefully investigated to what extent the new variants of the coronavirus are resistant to the vaccines and which processes are necessary for the rapid development of a modified corona vaccine.

On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the British drug regulator would be ready to review and approve a modified vaccine that is effective against the mutated variants of the coronavirus.

Recent laboratory tests indicate that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is effective against the British variant, which is rapidly spreading around the world.

BioNTech has announced that it will soon release a detailed analysis of the vaccine’s efficacy against the South African variant. Such tests are also carried out by pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca, Moderna and Curevac.