True: A single dose of the vaccine is less effective against new COVID-19 variants.

The South African variant of the virus has been found to be less effective against vaccines in clinical trials.In an interview with Sky News, Professor Barry Schoub, chair of the South African government's vaccine advisory committee, said that the U.K. is making people vulnerable to the virus by delaying a second dose of the vaccine. South Africa has seen increasing numbers of cases over the past few months because of a highly transmittable new variant, B.1.1.7. The vaccine may be 10 times less likely to be effective against the new variant, according to clinical trials. "There is greater risk," Schoub told Sky News. "It is more transmissible, and your immunity is only half what it should be, so that will increase the risk transmission." U.K. health secretary Matt Hancock described the news as "deeply worrying", as the U.K. grapples with some of the highest death rates in Europe with 32 cases of the new variant detected in Liverpool and more in Bristol. The British Medical Journal confirmed on February 1 that the Novavax vaccine is 95.6 percent effective against the original variant of the virus, but less so against the newer variants, B.1.1.7 (85.6 percent) and B.1.351 (60 percent). On January 29, it was revealed in a trial that a single-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is 66 percent effective against COVID-19, but it is likely to be at least five months until Britain can receive the doses. This was also found to be less effective with the new variant. The efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was found to be just 56 percent. However, it had still been efficient in preventing hospital admissions and deaths, according to the Times. It appears that clinical studies so far have revealed that the first dose of the vaccine is less effective against the new variants of COVID-19. Clinical trials are ongoing. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.